Fuel price demonstrations turn violent
The Jakarta Post, Makassar/Yogyakarta/Cirebon/Bandung
Despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's appeal earlier for peaceful rallies, protests against the upcoming fuel price hikes turned violent in several cities on Thursday, resulting in the arrest of several demonstrators.
Dozens of students demonstrating in Makassar, South Sulawesi, became involved in a minor clash with police officers guarding the private residence of Vice President Jusuf Kalla, after the protesters attempted to seal off the building.
The police had surrounded the house and installed a barbed- wire cordon 20 meters away from the building, preventing the students from getting through.
Furious, the students attempted to break through the barricade and threw stones at the police. After negotiations, the police later allowed several student representatives to read out their demands for the cancellation of the price hikes in front of Kalla's residence.
Elsewhere, a group of protesting students burnt used tires on the streets in Makassar, while hundreds of others broke a number of windows in the city's finance office with stones after they were prevented from entering the building.
The violence was contained, however, and the protesters later dispersed.
Another clash broke out in Palu, Central Sulawesi, as hundreds of students tried to occupy a gas station on Jl. Pramuka, Antara reported.
After police prevented their entry to the filling station, the demonstrators started to hurl stones, injuring at least one police officer. Several students were also injured after the police chased the protesters and beat a number of them, before the crowd dispersed.
Usman, an engineering student at Palu's Tadulako University, was briefly detained for his part in the protest.
Protesters were also arrested by police in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Two students were taken into custody for distributing pamphlets calling for people to join their protests against the fuel price increases, which are to come into effect on Saturday.
Kupang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Nugroho said that Yohanis Brino Tolo and Johanis Ndeo were detained for their "provocative" writings, which criticized the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
The arrests, Agus argued, were intended to prevent public unrest.
Both Yohanis and Johanis had previously participated in a student rally against the planned fuel price hikes, where demonstrators took over the local branch office of state radio RRI to air their demands. The students plan to stage further protests at various local government offices in the coming days.
In Cirebon, West Java, around 500 university students blocked the busy north coast highway connecting Jakarta and cities in East and Central Java.
The blockade caused tailbacks of up to five kilometers in length, which lasted for around four hours.
The police took no action to disperse the crowd. Traffic returned to normal at around 1 p.m.
A similar demonstration was staged in Bandung, involving more than 1,000 students and workers, who rallied outside the Sate Building on Jl. Diponegoro, which houses the offices of the West Java governor and the provincial legislative council.
The protesters blocked the road for around two hours.
They said that the government's decision to increase fuel prices would make the people suffer further as they would lead to increases in the prices of other commodities.
The students vowed to press ahead with more demonstrations until the government canceled the plan.
"We demand that corrupters be tried and their ill-gotten gains be confiscated before the government raises fuel prices," shouted one protester carrying a banner reading, "Fuel prices increase, corrupters walk free".
The demonstrators failed in their attempt to break into the Sate Building, with the main entrance being guarded by around 700 police officers, including 200 women.