Police question student leader

Police question student leader

JAKARTA: The Central Jakarta Police questioned student
activist Rico Marbun for over 10 hours on Thursday about his
involvement in an antigovernment rally last week during which a
police officer was assaulted.

Rico's lawyer, Ecoline Situmorang, said police charged his
client with violating Article 214 of the Criminal Code for acts
against a law enforcer, which carries a maximum penalty of six
years in jail.

During last Thursday's rally near President Megawati
Soekarnoputri's official residence on Jl. Teuku Umar in Menteng,
Central Jakarta, Rico, chairman of the Student Executive Board in
Greater Jakarta, picked up a riot officer and carried him around
in front of hundreds of student protesters. The move sparked
anger among other officers and almost resulted in a clash.

Rico denied the charges, saying the students never intended to
take the officer hostage. He said it was a peaceful rally to
demand the government lower utility prices, arrest corrupt
businesspeople and stop the sale of state assets. -- JP