Muslim university students clash, five left stabbed

Muslim university students clash, five left stabbed

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi

At least five people were severely stabbed and two buildings
burned down after two groups of Indonesian Muslim University
students clashed over an initiation program for novices.

Syahrul Fahmi, Abdul Syukur and Ade Dharmawan, who are members
of the university's mountaineering association (Mapala) and two
unidentified rival students from the school of engineering were
rushed to two separate hospitals due to their wounds.

The students used swords and arrows during the fight.

The clash also left two buildings belonging to Mapala and the
Indonesian Red Cross inside the campus burned down.

Following the brawl, the university administration suspended
all academic activities until Monday for fear of further
outbreaks of violence.

Tension continued to blanket the campus until the afternoon
despite the presence of police. The security troops stood by
around the campus at the request of the warring groups and the
university rector.

"Security has been restored so far, although we have to
withdraw ourselves from the campus," Panakkukang Police
Subprecinct chief Adj. Comr. Namora Simanjuntak, told The Jakarta
Post.

There were no immediate reports of arrests following the
melee, which resulted from a spat over whether the orientation
program for new students would include physical exercises
regularly adopted in the past under the supervision of the
mountaineering students. The school of engineering students
wanted change.

A group of angry Mapala members raided a boarding house where
some school of engineering students lived on Jl. Baiturrahman on
Thursday evening.

In response, the vengeful students burned down the Mapala
building a few hours later.

Security troops dispersed the groups and restored peace.

But the clash resumed on Friday when a larger group of Mapala
members raided the engineering students at their own campus
around 10.30 local time. The fight lasted only half an hour,
thanks to the immediate arrival of police, but the outcome was
almost fatal.

All the three Mapala members were sent to the 45 General
Hospital, while the two engineering students were rushed to the
Faisal Islamic Hospital.