Student finally gather at MPR gates

Student finally gather at MPR gates

JAKARTA (JP): The area around the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) building became a public gathering site as
thousands of people joined students in front of the gates.

Starting Saturday morning, following the burial of their
colleagues shot on Friday, students held rallies in several areas
of the city. Coming from dozens of campuses in Greater Jakarta
and outside of the city, the students finally made it to the
gates of the Assembly building after failing to do so during the
last several days.

The situation was much less tense than Friday. The gathering
lasted to 11 p.m. after it was announced there was a night
curfew. Actually Governor Sutiyoso had only appealed that people
not leave homes after 10 p.m.

Beginning around 2 p.m. the streets and toll roads around Jl.
Gatot Subroto, which was closed earlier, were thronged with
people proceeding slowly towards the legislative building.

Students atop vehicles led the crowd in the singing of
patriotic songs, while the Marines stopped the procession at
various intervals. The Marines urged the students to stay in one
group, while also reminding each another to keep their uniform
jackets on, in order to enable the easy identification of one
another in the masses.

Poetry readings and speeches demanding an end to the Armed
Forces representation in the legislative bodies were held at the
gates of the MPR building. The students expressed anger over the
failure of the Special Session, which ended on Friday, to reject
a draft decree justifying the representation of the military in
the MPR.

As of late Friday, 12 people had died during clashes between
protesters and security personnel, and dozens of others were
injured. A few police officers also sustained heavy injuries when
they were attacked by crowds on Saturday.

Students demanded the resignation of Minister of Defense and
Security/Armed Forces Chief Gen. Wiranto.

"Wiranto simply must resign," protesters said.

Some students repeated appeals for non-violence, while as of
late Saturday the remaining students and crowds in front of the
MPR seemed intent on breaking down the gates. Around 8:15 p.m., a
large number of students, mainly from the Communication Forum of
Jakarta Student Senates, began to leave the area, and by 10 p.m.
even more had left.

Authorities had refused to let the students enter the MPR
building. "The crowds far outnumber the students," an officer
said, fearing that the students and security personnel would not
be able to contain the thousands of people mingling with the
students. "We have instructions that the buildings are closed for
the time being, so please go home," another officer said.

Security forces of various units guarded the compound and all
of the roads leading toward the location. Barbed wire, which
appeared to be electrified, was seen along the gates behind the
buildings.

Even though the Special Session, held from Nov. 10 through
Nov. 13, had already ended, the students said that they still
needed to occupy the building to hold a "people's session". A
similar event was held during the session at the Proclamation
Monument. The flyover near the Assembly building on Saturday was
packed with onlookers who joined in the singing and clapping.

The gathering was also addressed by various politicians,
including Sri Bintang Pamungkas.

Some tension marked the rallies, as people expressed anger at
the Armed Forces, except for the Marines. Riot police and the
Army Strategic Command (Kostrad) personnel were targets of the
people's anger. Shouts of "Kostrad PKI" (Kostrad are communists)
were heard, after which the Kostrad personnel withdrew from Jl.
Gatot Subroto. The Police and Kostrad were the forces which fired
on the protesters during the Friday rallies.

Meanwhile shouts of "Hidup Marinir" (Long live the Marines)
were heard from students and other people. The Marines were
offered refreshments because, since last May's occupation of the
legislature, they have been considered much more sympathetic
toward the students.

Around 7 p.m., at the Bank Negara Indonesia building, across
the street from the legislative compound, crowds demanded that
the 80 or so Kostrad troops who were posted at the building's
front compound leave the area.

Half of the troops left the area in a truck at around 5:30
p.m., while eight students and three Marines clung to the truck's
doors and sat on its roof to protect them from the belligerent
crowds. As the truck left the bank's compound, crowds threw
stones and a Molotov cocktail toward the truck.

The rest of the troops, seeing the crowds' reactions, hid
behind the building instead. (ivy/edt/das/anr)