More students, lecturers join on-campus rallies

More students, lecturers join on-campus rallies

JAKARTA (JP): On-campus rallies calling for reform and
protesting against the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities
gathered steam yesterday as tens of thousands of students and
lecturers from nearly 40 universities took part.

At least two minor incidents were recorded in East Java's
capital of Surabaya and in Jakarta yesterday, but the protests in
Yogyakarta, Bandung, Surakarta, Semarang, Malang, Purwokerto,
Ujungpandang and Medan ended peacefully.

No arrests were reported.

About 20,000 students from at least 10 universities in
Yogyakarta gathered on the grounds of Gadjah Mada University
(UGM) for a free-speech forum which featured numerous noted
intellectuals.

Among them were self-styled presidential candidate Amien Rais,
senior anthropologist Prof. T. Jacob, Prof. Koento Wibisono
Siswomihardjo, political observers Riswandha Ismawan and Afan
Gaffar and psychologist Djamalludin Ancok.

Controversial chairman of the Surakarta branch of the United
Development Party (PPP) Moedrick Sangidoe was also seen at the
gathering.

The "sea of human beings", as one witness described the crowd
that flocked to the nation's oldest university, comprised
students and lecturers of other universities in the so-called
"student town."

They included, among others, the Indonesian Islamic University
(UII) and the state-run Teachers Training Institute (IKIP)
Karangmalang, Yogyakarta.

Many passersby also joined the gathering which was overseen by
hundreds of fully armed riot police and soldiers. Scores of
plainclothes security officers also mingled with the crowd.

During the gathering, Amien Rais who is also chairman of the
28-million-strong Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, renewed his
warning that the newly endorsed government had six months to fix
the country's crisis.

"If they fail to do so in six months, then its power mandate
should be returned to the People's Consultative Assembly. It will
later hold an extraordinary session to elect a new national
leader," Amien said to thunderous applause.

"Why six months? Because we could already judge whether the
government is serious about handling the crisis in this period."

The crowd dispersed in peace.

In Surabaya, seven students and a police officer sustained
minor injuries during a brief clash.

Scores of riot police beat students with rattan sticks to
prevent about 5,000 people from marching onto the streets.

East Surabaya Police chief Lt. Col. Oegroseno said he
regretted the incident.

"I guarantee nobody will be arrested," he said.

The students of eight universities gathered on the Surabaya
Institute of Technology campus to stage a free-speech forum
before marching to Airlangga University, which is eight
kilometers away.

Seven students of Airlangga University ended their hunger
strike yesterday due to their weakened physical condition. They
began their hunger strike a week ago.

In Jakarta, violence broke out when more than 500 protesting
students from the Indonesian Social and Political Science
Institute (IISIP) tried to march off their campus.

They were prevented from doing so by more than a score of riot
police who stood at the campus' main entrance. Some students
threw stones at the police but no injuries were reported.

The students later continued their protest during a free-
speech forum, voicing harsh words and condemning the government
over its handling of the crisis.

Protests in Jakarta were also held at the Indonesian Christian
University, the Nasional University, and later in the University
of Indonesia in the evening.

Similar protests also continued at the Bogor Institute of
Agriculture in the West Java town of Bogor, and at three
universities in Bandung -- the Bandung Institute of Technology,
Padjadjaran University and IKIP Bandung.

There were also student protests at four universities in North
Sumatra's capital of Medan. In Central Java, hundreds of students
staged protest at Surakarta's Sebelas Maret University, hundreds
of others at the Purwokerto's Soedirman University, and more at
the Diponegoro University in Semarang.

Two similar protests were also staged by hundreds of students
from Malang's Brawijaya University and IKIP Malang in East Java.
The two protests were attended by their rectors who also
addressed students during the free-speech forums.

Protests in North Sumatra's capital of Medan also continued
yesterday at Sumatra Utara University, IKIP Medan, Catholic
University, and HKBP Nomensen University.

In South Sulawesi's capital of Ujungpandang, hundreds of
students of the Indonesian Moslem University (UMI), Paulus
Teachers Training University (UKIP), and University of '45 also
staged similar protests. (23/30/43/21/ivy/emf/nur/har/aan)