Protest turns violent again in Yogyakarta
YOGYAKARTA (JP): At least five police officers and a dozen youths were injured here yesterday when a demonstration of some 2,000 students deteriorated into a violent clash with about 500 security personnel.
Some 1,000 Gadjah Mada University students started protests on their campus grounds at 9 a.m. and after two hours attempted to march toward the center of town to the sultan's palace. However, troops blocked their way, and the students peacefully dispersed to say their Friday prayers.
The demonstration resumed soon after the prayers with the number of protesters swelling to nearly 2,000. The students later split into two groups. The first group of some 500 students protested near riot police, while the majority of the protesters assembled at a distance.
The first group soon dispersed, but the second group later locked in a scuffle with security personnel when several people started throwing stones and firecrackers at police.
At about 3 p.m., a student delegation met with the chief of the Yogyakarta military district, Col. Djoko Santoso, who promised to withdraw his men if the students dispersed. But 20 minutes later police shot tear gas at the protesters and chased after them into the campus.
The officers yelled at some of the students, "So, you called me a dog yesterday, heh?" in an angry reference to Thursday's demonstration where students threw insults and stones at the police.
Some police officers also vandalized the student hall breaking several windows.
Deputy rector Bambang Kartika spoke with security personnel urging non-violence. He then climbed onto an armored vehicle and called on both students and the military to disperse.
A police source said five officers were injured, while student representatives said 13 protesters were seriously hurt, including one with broken ribs.
Police arrested 14 students during the clash.
Local hospital representatives refused to divulge any information about students admitted for treatment yesterday.
Student demonstrations also took place yesterday at Janabadra University and the state Teachers Training Institute in Yogyakarta.
In Jakarta, some 500 students from about 10 universities gathered on the University of Indonesia campus on Jl. Salemba Raya to appeal for the support of the Armed Forces in their demands for reforms amid the deepening economic crisis.
The students dismissed an offer of talks with the military to air their grievances, saying the move was intended to silence their protests at campuses across the country.
About two dozen police were deployed outside the campus fence. The demonstration broke up peacefully after about two hours.
In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, more than 2,000 students from the Association of Indonesian Moslem Students staged a peaceful demonstration demanding sweeping political and economic reforms at the city's Karebosi Square.
Demonstrations were also staged by students from Soegiyopranoto Catholic University and the Teachers Training Institute of PGRI in Semarang, Central Java.
In Surabaya, the capital of East Java, some 300 students of Airlangga University held a demonstration near their campus entrance which was blocked by police. The students, who came from many universities, also conveyed their condolences for colleagues who were injured in Thursday's demonstration. (09/23/30/31/44/nur/har/byg)