Security lax for Surabaya protest

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of students at dozens of campuses continued with anti-government rallies yesterday but, at least in one city, security was notably lax.

Besides demanding lower prices for basic commodities, students also chanted for sweeping political reform, including a cabinet reshuffle, the empowerment of the House of Representatives and a change in the national leadership.

In Surabaya, East Java, 5,000 students from 17 private and state universities staged a peaceful demonstration at Dr. Soetomo University.

Afterward, students from Adhi Tama Institute of Technology, Putra Bangsa University, Hang Tuah University and Surabaya School of Economics marched off the campus toward their own universities.

Each wave of students was accompanied by a solitary traffic policeman. Riot police remained near their truck, where their driver slept peacefully.

The yesterday's rally brought up a number of demands, including a call for a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly to question President Soeharto on the economic crisis.

The students also demanded that the five laws which govern Indonesian politics be revoked, the number of presidential terms be limited, and the law on subversion be abolished.

Students also demanded the government draft an anti-monopoly law and establish a special institution to audit the personal wealth of government officials.

The rally ended peacefully and no arrests were reported.

In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, 3,000 students from Muhammadiyah University staged a free speech forum on their campus.

The rally was attended by the university's assistant rector Sohrah Nasaruddin, who told students to united behind a uniform vision in their struggle for reform.

She also told students to refrain from taking their rally onto the street because that could allow other parties to infiltrate the movement.

Disregarding her advice, the students went on the streets and marched to the office of the Antara news agency and the provincial legislative building.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, 5,000 thousands of students from private and state universities staged a rally which was marred by a scuffle with security personnel when the students tried to march to the provincial legislative council. Fifteen students were arrested, Antara reported.

In Bandung, West Java, 15 students from the Padjadjaran University were injured and eight policemen bruised in a clash that broke out when officers with canes charged students trying to leave the campus.

Students in the Central Java cities of Semarang and Pekalongan, and in Medan in North Sumatra staged similar protests yesterday.

Protests have been taking place almost daily across the country for the last two months.

Students say crony capitalism centered around President Soeharto is the main cause of the economic crisis and that the 76-year-old former army general must consequently step down.

Soeharto, who has ruled the country since coming to power in 1966, recently gave security forces the green light to use force against demonstrators if the situation required such measures.

The military has said it will not allow the protests to spread off university campuses, and police have thwarted several attempts by protesters to do so. However, on some occasions they have stood by and done nothing.

The government has held talks with some student leaders in an effort to defuse the protests.

But local leaders and political analysts say neither threats nor appeasement are likely to work. According to Amien Rais, leader of the 28 million-strong Muhammadiyah Moslem organization, the students have reached a point of no return and protests seem likely to continue. (21/30/nur/har/byg)