Military stops more students from 'trespassing in red zone'
JAKARTA (JP): Inspired by the astounding maneuver of Trisakti University students who breached the military cordon around Merdeka Palace on the previous day, 2,500 students from two different groups launched abortive attempts to follow suit.
Students from Gunadarma University and the Joint Forum (Forbes) arrived in the vicinity of the palace from different directions, but were immediately prevented from going any further by bristling ranks of security personnel near the Bank Indonesia building and Tani monument in Menteng.
Unlike on Wednesday, when 2,000 Trisakti University students evaded security and staged a rally at the palace gates, the security forces were well prepared on Thursday.
Armored vehicles and troops were on the alert at several points in the city center, including outside Bank Indonesia, the Hotel Indonesia (HI) roundabout and the National Monument park.
"We have to prepare for the worst," said a senior officer.
The group of 1,500 Gunadarma University students who traveled from their Depok campus were first stopped at the HI roundabout at 3:20 p.m., but were later allowed to advance as far as the Bank Indonesia building.
A few hours earlier, 1,000 students from Forbes were stopped by the security forces at the Tani monument.
Students later admitted that their failure was due to a late start.
"We have transport problems. No buses were willing to take us. Maybe they were afraid that we wouldn't pay them," Vanda Kusuma from Gunadarma University said.
Warning
In a statement made available to The Jakarta Post last night, Presidential Guard Unit Commander Maj. Gen. Suwandi warned student protesters not to try to reach the palace.
"Although Wednesday's rally took place closer than the limit tolerable under the law, we need to remind the people, especially students, not to stage any further rallies around Merdeka Palace and the State Palace or at other sites at which it is illegal," Suwandi said.
He continued: "We need to remind all parties that the security apparatus will not hesitate to uphold the law in an effort to guarantee the security of the Head of the Government in accordance with the existing law."
Separately, Deputy City Police chief Brig. Gen. Sutanto said the student rally near Merdeka Palace on Wednesday had not violated any regulations.
The students even informed the security authorities in advance, Sutanto told the media on Thursday afternoon after inspecting security personnel standing guard in the National Monument park and at the House of Representatives.
"We appreciate the students' effort," he said. "They remained outside the distance stipulated in the new law on freedom of expression."
Law No.9/1998 on freedom of expression forbids rallies and demonstrations at sites vital to the national interest, including Merdeka Palace.
At 1:30 p.m., two hours before the arrival of the Gunadarma students, 100 protesters calling themselves the Action Force of the Muhammadiyah Students Association gathered outside the BI office to demand the central bank give a public account of the disbursement of Rp 140 trillion in emergency liquidity credits and bring an end to the mystery surrounding use of what they said was "the people's money".
The protesters expressed fears that many tycoons who had taken advantage of the financial support were now unable to repay their debts.
"We want former Bank Indonesia governors like J.B. Sumarlin, Adrianus Mooy, Radius Prawiro and (the current director) Sjahril Sabirin to be investigated for malfeasance associated with the release of liquidity support," student leader Husni M.K. shouted.
Despite the protests, nearby shops and malls including Menteng Plaza and Sogo Department Store were open for business as usual.
No clashes were reported, but a foreign journalist got more than he bargained for in the late afternoon when he offered a tired looking Muhammadiyah student a glass of cendol (a drink containing droplets of rice flour) near City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan.
Instead of paying for one glass, the journalist had to buy the vendor's entire remaining stock after all the students demanded free drinks. (edt/ivy/bsr)