Hendro dismisses student regiment banning idea

Hendro dismisses student regiment banning idea

JAKARTA (JP): City Military Commander Maj. Gen. A.M.
Hendropriyono has dismissed the idea of banning the country's in-
house university cadet military regiments, whose members were
involved in a bloody clash on Tuesday with fellow students of the
National University in South Jakarta.

"It is too early to make such a suggestion," Hendro told
reporters yesterday after opening an upgrading course for city
bus drivers in Serpong, some 20 kilometers west of here.

He also warned any parties not to fish in troubled waters by
trying to pit one against another.

The clash, which left a command post of the university
regiment members in ashes and at least five students injured,
involved students grouped in the university's Association of
Nature Lovers (Himpala) and regiment members (Menwa).

Hendro refused to identify the parties. But it is strongly
believed that the dispute between the two groups was mainly
caused by differences over their candidates for the university's
rector.

A reliable police source told The Jakarta Post that the
Himpala members were supporters of the late Sutan Takdir
Alisjahbana while those from Menwa supported Achmad Baiquni, who
later won the rector election.

According to South Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Silvanus
Julian Wenas, the brawl was triggered by Friday's incident in
which several Menwa members were believed to have assaulted a
student of Himpala following a trivial traffic incident.

On Monday, the command post of Menwa was set on fire by a
group of students who apparently had a score to settle with the
regiment members.

"The students then kidnapped and cruelly tortured several
regiment student members in a room at the university," Wenas
said.

As of last night, at least 13 students, mostly Himpala
members, were still being detained for further questioning. In
the early hours of Wednesday, a total of around 100 youths
believed to have been regiment members surrounded the Pasar
Minggu police station and South Jakarta police precinct, asking
to "borrow" the suspects.

Hendro called on members of the two belligerent groups to
refrain from reacting further which would only exacerbate the
situation.

Press

Meanwhile the Ministry of Education and Culture has formed a
special team assigned to compile reports of the clash.

Minister Wardiman Djojonegoro said in Bandung on Wednesday
that the government has no plan as yet to abolish the regiments.

"I'm not suggesting that the presence of these regiments at
universities will be reviewed. On that issue, I have no comment.
Let the team collect the data first," he said after presenting
scholarships to about 100 high school students awarded by Pilot
pencil manufacturer and Hai magazine.

Wardiman said the team is investigating what sparked the
physical clashes, whether it was personal or had something to do
with the institution.

"They could've been caused by personal reasons, like fighting
over girlfriends or personal revenge. Should we in this case
disband the regiments?"

The presence of Menwa was first questioned by members of the
House of Representatives during a hearing with Wardiman in
Jakarta early this month. The legislators presented clippings of
newspaper reports about fights involving the regiments.

Wardiman at the time gave the same answer, stating they were
isolated cases.

On Wednesday, Wardiman accused the press of giving Menwa
unwarranted negative publicity. "They're okay, it's the
newspapers which have been blowing things out of proportion."

Wardiman said the establishment of the regiment was based on a
joint decree signed by the minister of education and culture,
minister of home affairs and minister of defense and security.

He said the regulations could be tightened or improved but the
decree stands.

Fights involving Menwa members should not be interpreted as
meaning that the regiment cannot get along with other students.

"We have to deal with them case by case. If a husband is
fighting with his wife, you can't just say that their marriage is
not harmonious. There may be cases involving Menwa, but you must
not generalize and then conclude that Menwa should be abolished."
(bsr/pet)