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)