Protest staged at DPR building

JAKARTA (JP): About 100 students braved heavy rain on Wednesday to protest outside the House of Representatives building as the discussion on political bills by the legislative body was reaching its end.

The students, calling themselves the Bina Sarana Informatika Computer College Student Action, demanded that the Armed Forces (ABRI) be totally excluded from the legislature.

The House members agreed earlier Wednesday to give the military 38 seats in the legislative body, half the number they held under the former government of Soeharto, but more than the 15 demanded by the United Development Party (PPP).

In the protest, the first after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan last week, the students rejected the holding of party posts by civil servants, a policy already agreed to by the House and signed into law by President B.J. Habibie on Tuesday.

They also demanded that ABRI scrap its plan to train a civilian militia, popularly known here as People's Security (Kamra).

The students' fourth demand was the rejection of voting by legislators as a means to reach a decision.

"We reject all decisions reached by voting as the House consists of too many Golkar legislators," the students said in a statement, referring to the ruling Golkar political group which was the main political vehicle of Soeharto.

Anti-riot troops stood about 100 meters away from the House, the distance allowed by law, while a further 200 troops looked on, but did not intervene.

After negotiating with police officers, 10 student representatives were allowed to enter the House to meet with spokespeople for the factions.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang said the student group had informed the police of their intention to stage the street rally.

"They planned to tour around the city to gather people from the general public to rally with them before visiting the House of Representatives," he said. (ivy)