Illegal loggers beat students

BOJONEGORO, East Java: Five students were attacked by illegal loggers after they made a citizen's arrest of two men for stealing logs at the Jatirogo teak forest in Tuban on Friday, Antara reported on Saturday.

The five students -- Hendri, 20, Suratno, 23, Ari Suhadi, 22, and Pramono, 21 -- are currently being treated at Sosrodoro Djatikoesoemo Hospital in Bojonegoro for serious injuries.

Another student, Slamet Widodo, 21, suffered minor injuries.

Slamet said that on Friday he and a friend came across two men stealing logs in the forest. They arrested the men and handed them over to the nearest security post.

Slamet said he and four other students were in Tuban on a field program in an area close to the forest.

The students are from Merdeka University and Cooperative Management Academy in Madiun, East Java.

Soon after handing over the illegal loggers to the security post, the students did not return to their base camp. They fell asleep at the security post after chatting to the guards.

At about midnight, unidentified people on two trucks attacked the security post.

Chief Brig. Sidik, an officer at the local police office, said the security guards managed to escape but the sleeping students did not.

The two illegal loggers were still detained despite the attack.