Nine students injured in rallies

Nine students injured in rallies

JAKARTA (JP): At least nine students were injured and 62
arrested in a number of rallies held across Java on Tuesday to
oppose the June 7 general election.

The arrests were made following a clash between students
grouped in the Indonesian University Big Family (KBUI) and riot
police who were attempting to disperse the protesters on Jl. M.T.
Haryono in East Jakarta.

Five of the students, including two women and a high school
student, were beaten when they resisted arrest. They are
currently being treated at St. Carolus Hospital in Salemba,
Central Jakarta.

Another four protesters were injured when police blocked some
200 students grouped in the United Society Coordination Forum
(FKMB) from entering state radio RRI in Bandung, West Java. The
students were attempting to broadcast their opposition to the
upcoming polls, the Armed Forces dual function and President B.J.
Habibie's administration.

Fery, a student activist in Bandung, said the antigovernment
rallies across Java were part of an agreement reached during a
recent meeting of student groups in Bali.

In Yogyakarta, an antielection march was jointly organized by
the Gadjah Mada University senate council, the Student Solidarity
for People's Sovereignty and the People's Struggle Committee for
Reform. No violence was reported, but the march caused traffic
jams across the town.

Students grouped in the KBUI were attempting to march to the
House of Representatives to join fellow protesters when the
police blocked their way and asked them to disperse.

A member of the KBUI, Renato, said the police, dispatched from
Jakarta Police Headquarters, encircled the students and forced
them onto military trucks.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis defended the
arrests, saying the students violated law No. 9/1998 on freedom
of expression by not notifying police prior to holding their
protest.

Under the law, any group intending to hold a rally or
demonstration must inform the police of the intended route three
days beforehand.

The students arrested were sent to the city police detectives
for questioning. They could be charged with breaking the law on
freedom of expression, Lubis said.

Over 300 students from the City Forum and Trisakti University
marched along main thoroughfares toward the House under the close
scrutiny of security personnel.

Carrying guns or batons, the troops, who appeared to outnumber
the protesters, prevented the students from reaching the House by
blockading the area.

There were no signs of tension or anger among the troops,
despite persistent yells and songs from protesters intended to
insult the security forces. The soldiers looked at ease, with
some of them listening to music on the radio or sleeping in their
trucks.

The students approached the House from opposite directions in
convoys comprising dozens of minibuses. They groups planned to
meet in front of the House, where the students from the KBUI were
to join them.

As the convoy passed through the city, many residents were
seen giving the students thumbs-up signs and water.

The protesters accused President B.J. Habibie's government of
being a discredited heir of Soeharto's regime and of being
incapable of holding a free and fair general election.

"We don't oppose the election as a democratic mechanism, but
the government which is holding it. We don't believe the 1999
polls can solve the country's problems.

"We demand the formation of a democratic, transitional
government in order to have a free and fair election," the
students said in a statement.

As they made their way to the House, the students sat
on top of the buses singing songs. They sometimes yelled,
"revolution until we die".

The rally caused traffic jams on the nearby toll road and
parts of Jl. Gatot Subroto.

Jakarta Police's chief of command and operation control Col.
Soenarko said a total of 2,000 officers were deployed to keep the
students in order.

When asked why security forces did not disperse the students
for failing to notify the police before holding their rallies,
Soenarko said such a move was impossible because the protesters
outnumbered the police.

"How can we disperse them if their numbers are more than
ours," Soenarko said.

After around two hours, the students peacefully dispersed, but
one of them said: "Tomorrow we shall return".

Despite the students' strong opposition to the election,
chairman of the National Elections Committee Jacob Tobing shared
his optimism that at least 70 percent of the 130 million eligible
voters in the country would participate in the polls.

"People are anxious to join the polls... despite several
shortcomings at the lower levels, voter registration officials
have started to fine-tune their work," Jacob said on Tuesday.
(23/43/44/edt/emf)