Protesters reject govt intervention

SEMARANG, Central Java: About 100 students from various provinces demonstrated yesterday against government-sponsored Student Senates in their universities.

They demanded that the senate be abolished and students be allowed to revive the once powerful Student Council, which is free from external intervention.

In the demonstration at Diponegoro University, they also demanded that students be given the freedom of organization as guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution.

Spokesman for the demonstrators Ichwan AR said that students from various universities across the country have formed a committee to be in charge of preparing for the formation of Student Councils in their respective schools.

The government banned Student Councils following the massive student rioting in Jakarta in 1974, which was known as the January Calamity, in which demonstrators vandalized public facilities and burned cars. Some senior government officials were implicated in the incident. (har/pan)