Government calls for restraint in wake of protests

JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday appealed to all parties, including the university students who have taken to the streets these past two weeks, to refrain from engaging in any activities that could disturb peace and order.

Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman said after a limited cabinet meeting that people should resolve whatever differences they have by peaceful means.

In the run-up to next year's general election, he said, everyone must maintain their poise. "Everyone must restrain themselves so that differences in opinion between political organizations, civil organizations and NGOs can be settled through deliberation and consensus.

"Demonstrations are not banned, but they should be conducted in an orderly manner," he said. "There is no need to go to the streets, and there is no need to do it in large numbers."

Soesilo acknowledged that the appeal was in response to the Ujungpandang incident which officially left three people dead last month.

Students in various cities around the country have been holding demonstrations in solidarity with their colleagues who died in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, in the April 22 and 23 disturbance.

The unrest, which also left many students injured, followed protests against planned hikes in local public bus fares. The students alleged that troopers used force against the demonstrators, an accusation that the Armed Forces has denied.

The Ujungpandang incident and the protests which have ensued since then were among the subjects discussed at the monthly meeting of cabinet ministers under Soesilo's supervision.

Referring to the solidarity protests, Soesilo said students should express grievances in a more orderly fashion. "Solidarity can be displayed in a written manner," he remarked.

Rather than mobilizing other students, they could send several delegates to the House of Representatives to make their point, suggested Soesilo.

Meanwhile, students continued protesting yesterday in a number of Central Java towns.

In Yogyakarta, about 40 students from various universities in the city marched to the provincial legislature, while in Salatiga about 100 students from the state Institute for Islamic Studies, joined by students from private universities, also held a demonstration. Both protests were to demonstrate solidarity toward their colleagues in Ujungpandang.

In Purwokerto, students demonstrated against public transportation fare increases in their city. They were met by Purwokerto regent Sudantoko, who maintained that the rise had been discussed with community representatives.

The Armed Forces (ABRI) has admitted that some procedures were violated in the way troopers handled the April demonstrations in Ujungpandang, but it strongly denied the suggestions that they opened fire on the students or that they beat the protesters.

ABRI Chief of Sociopolitical Affairs Lt. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, while briefing newspaper editors at the Ministry of Information on Tuesday, criticized some members of the media for giving room to unfounded rumors.

Citing an example, he said the number of people killed in the riot stood at three and not six as some people continue to insist. "We have three body counts. Can anyone come up with the other three?" he asked.

He said the light detachment of troopers was deployed only after the protesters began setting fire to motorcycles and cars. "Were we supposed to do nothing?" he asked.

Maj. Gen. Syamsir Siregar, the chief of ABRI's intelligence agency, said the bullet cartridges found on campus after the riot came from the firing of tear gas cylinders. "They were not active bullets. You need to fire empty cartridges to fire the tear gas."

The discovery of the empty cartridges has been used by the students to support their claim that troops fired on demonstrators.

Syarwan also admitted to procedural violations and said that 40 soldiers are now being questioned.

He cited the decision by some troopers to enter the campus of the Indonesian Moslem University with panzers to quell the unrest as one example of a violation. This, he added, was not ordered by their commander. (mds/emb)

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