PRD activists hunted for in Medan

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Head of the provincial prosecutor's office M. Djalil Anwar Pradjarto said the authorities are cracking down on activists of the leftist Democratic People's Party (PRD).

PRD activists are being blamed for the riot that ensued following the invasion of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) headquarters in Jakarta on July 27 by breakaway party members backed by the government.

According to Djalil, about 4,000 students at the North Sumatra State Institute for Islamic Studies are suspected members of Student Solidarity for Democracy, a group affiliated with the PRD.

The authorities are monitoring the students while the institute's teachers have been trying to persuade them to quit the organization, Djalil said.

Djalil was quoted by Antara as saying that the authorities won't hesitate to take action against the students if they violate the law.(14)