Over 90 injured in student-military clash

JAKARTA (JP): At least 80 protesting students and 14 security personnel were injured during a serious clash between police and soldiers at a joint rally of some 4,000 students near the House of Representatives building on Thursday.

As of late last night two students, including a female, had suffered gunshot wounds in their back. The two, identified as Indria of Tarakanita College and Iyan Suliva of Pancasila University, were treated at the St. Carolus hospital in Central Jakarta.

Most of the students suffered bruises and broken arms or legs and decided to leave the nearby hospitals, such as Mintohardjo Navy hospital and the Jakarta hospital, and a clinic at the Atma Jaya University, after receiving first aid.

The unrest which started at about 5 p.m. turned brutal as the students armed with rocks, sticks, iron bars, bamboo spears and molotov cocktails reacted harshly to the police and troops' order to disperse.

The police and soldiers, about 500 in number, then fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets at the students while other officers chased and beat the protesters with batons.

It was the worst unrest between the security authorities and students in the capital since the Semanggi Black Friday clash of Nov. 13 where at least 10 people died.

The Thursday protesters, attempting to force their way to the House, consisted of students from various organizations, such as the Committee of Students and People for Democracy (Komrad), City Forum (Forkot), Communication Forum of Jakarta Student Senate (FKSMJ), Collective Forum (Forbes), Pancasila University Student Movement for Reform (Gempur) and Student Action Front for Reform and Democracy (Famred).

The students demanded the release of their colleagues who were arrested in a protest on the previous day and urged President B.J. Habibie and Armed Forces Chief Gen. Wiranto to take the responsibility for the deaths of other students in clashes with the military last month.

The groups came from different directions before making a huge crowd on the street a few meters away from the House.

Throughout their rally the students yelled "Revolution until we die!"

After their arrival on the scene at about 2 p.m., they opened a free speech forum in front of the security cordon under the Senayan flyover.

At about 4:05 p.m., they began to push the security cordon and repeated their move three times before they managed to break through and run toward the House.

Some of the student groups started pelting stones at the police officers and attacked them with bamboo spears to force their way through.

A student was seen exposing his body as if preparing himself to be shot at by the soldiers. "Here..here," he shouted.

Another student, who tried to persuade his fellows to retreat, recalled: "We can hardly control them anymore."

The crack of shooting and thin mist were heard and seen every time the tear gas was fired in reply to volleys of stones, molotov cocktails and other things thrown at the security cordon.

The students also set ablaze police and military tents and took away police jackets and their riot equipment, such as helmets and shields.

After performing the evening prayer at 6 p.m., the students calmed down and started to retreat.

Some of them later burned cardboard boxes and traffic signs on Jl. Gatot Subroto.

The students later dispersed into the night, many going back to Atma Jaya University.

At about 8 p.m. last night, an overloaded bus taking student protesters home was shot at by soldiers near the Cawang flyover in East Jakarta, some of the students said.

The shots punctured the vehicle's tires and brought it to a halt. Uniformed troops then rushed onto the bus and beat the students, leaving at least 21 wounded.

"At least one passenger was shot and is now being treated here," said a nurse at the nearby UKI hospital in Cawang. (ivy/emf/edt/bsr)