Jakarta Police release students without charges

JAKARTA (JP): City police released without charge on Friday six students who had been in custody after red-handedly found lowering the national flag at the Attorney General's Office compound in South Jakarta the day before.

The six left city police headquarters at 11 a.m, escorted by dozens of their friends.

Muhammad Ismail Sambas, one of the students, said they were released by the police after hours of investigation.

"The investigation process started from Thursday afternoon and ended at around midday," said Sambas, a student at Moestopo Beragama University.

Along with Sambas, the police arrested Bonny Zaki, Dwi Hananto Setiawan, Reni Erlina, Rinita and Rifka.

The six students, along with 31 other protesters grouped under the Jakarta Student Action Committee (KAM Jakarta) and the Bandung-based Young Indonesia Front (FIM Bandung), were taken to city police headquarters on Thursday after they staged a protest at the office on Thursday.

The six were charged with insulting the country's red-and- white flag after they lowered the one in the office compound half the way down its 12-meter-long pole. The other 31 protesters were allowed to leave the same day after being briefed by police personnel.

South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Sup. Edward Aritonang said earlier on Thursday that the protesters could face a maximum four years in jail each for insulting the national flag, as stipulated in Article 154 of the Criminal Code.

The students rejected the charge, saying that they were only intending to show the public that they had yet to enjoy real independence.

"Indonesian people are not really free as military men are still present in the legislative bodies," the students said.

Acting city police spokesman Supt. Alex Mandalika confirmed the release of the six students.

"The students were released from all charges since the police didn't have sufficient evidence that they had really humiliated the national flag," he said at his office. (asa)