Police pursue bottle-thrower
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."