Police pursue bottle-thrower
Evi Mariani and Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta police chief has revealed that his officers charged into and severely beat dozens of protesting students in front of the Supreme Court building on Thursday because a single bottle tossed toward the police line made them lose control and deviate from procedures.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said that the police would launch an investigation to determine who the "provocateur" was behind the clash that left 73 protesters injured, mostly students.
"I am deeply sorry and regret the incident ... The police are investigating the incident to find out who the provocateur was," he said on Friday.
Makbul pointed out that the objectives were to firmly ensure that people from both sides of the debate could voice their opinions in a peaceful way during the court rallies.
He said procedures to disperse the crowd did not include beatings. However, he seemed to justify his men's actions when he said they were "provoked" by a tossed bottle, which apparently emanated from the student section.
In terms of casualties, Thursday's clash was the bloodiest since the police force became independent from the military in 2000.
Of the 73 protesters reportedly injured, 53 were taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) and Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) and six had severe enough injuries to stay more than one night, said Hermawan Ibnu Nurdin, chairman of Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI).
Five of those six hospitalized students have been discharged from the hospital but Yudi Santoso, 23, a student from Jakarta State University, was transferred to the Pondok Indah Hospital from RSCM by his parents due to his fractured skull presumably caused by the police baton beating.
An activist with the Poor People's Front (LPRM) Firman -- after receiving some stitches to his torso because of a nasty gash -- was unable to pay the bill for further treatment, after taken home by fellow activists from RSPAD.
"Actually Firman still needs medical treatment for his wound but we have no money. For the time being, he's just resting at our office," the chairman of LPRM, Marlo Sitompul, said.
A doctor at the RSPAD confirmed that dozens of the casualties he treated were for wounds caused by beatings with blunt objects.
Hundreds of police officers flailed wildly with their batons as they charged the defenseless students in a swift, efficient retort to the bottle that was tossed in their general direction on late Thursday as the justices read their decision to overturn House of Representatives speaker Akbar Tandjung's corruption conviction.
Such violence was contrast to the treatment of the Golkar party's youth wing who also rallied on the other side of Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara.
The National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Basyir Ahmad Barmawi made a public apology hours after the clash erupted but claimed that 10 police officers were also wounded in the incident.
Later on Friday, a joint meeting among elements of the protesting students at the compound of the University of Indonesia on Jl. Salemba, Central Jakarta, agreed to report the violence to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Saturday.
"We are completing the draft report that will carry the data on the wounded students and pictures of the violent acts. The report will be submitted to Komnas HAM tomorrow," said Hermawan. "We are aware that it is unlikely we can meet Komnas officials on Saturday, but we want to submit the report ASAP."