Protest turns violent again in Yogyakarta
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)