Student groups insist on holding rally on May 12

JAKARTA (JP): Student groups from several universities insisted on Friday they would hold a street rally on Wednesday to commemorate the Trisakti University shootings.

The rally will be held "because the military is not serious in revealing the truth behind the bloody shootings," an activist from Forum Kota (Forkot), Mixil, said at Sahid University on Jl. Supomo, South Jakarta, on Friday.

Forkot is a loose alliance of 30 student groups from universities throughout Jakarta.

Mixil also lashed out at military atrocities in other parts of the country, including Aceh and East Timor, where he said human rights abuses were rampant.

"These facts reaffirm our intention to hold the rally," he said.

Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djadja Suparman asked students on Thursday to call off the rally. The rally is being planned in observance of the first anniversary of the Trisakti shootings, in which security personnel opened fire on protesting students, killing four.

Djadja expressed fears the event would be used by individuals or groups seeking to spark a clash between student demonstrators and security personnel.

Djadja issued his warning after student groups announced plans on Tuesday to mobilize thousands of students for the rally.

An activist from the Committee of Students and People for Democracy (Komrad), Sofyan, said the most effective way to fight for democracy and demand the military complete a thorough investigation into the Trisakti shootings was through the rally.

"Soeharto resigned as president on May 21 because of the mass action of the students," he said.

The Trisakti shootings sparked major riots which forced president Soeharto to step down on May 21 after 32 years in power.

Sofyan also said Komrad would not alter its plan to mobilize its members for the rally.

An activist from the Collective Forum, Anton, said his organization would participate in the rally despite the military warning.

"From a political point of view, the rally is needed to directly show the people our concern," he said.

Commenting on the possibility of provocateurs using the rally to cause unrest, Anton said: "Many military personnel have acted as the provocateurs in a number of rallies we have held."

Another Forkot activist, Bopin, said his forum had a special technique to spot provocateurs at rallies.

"We will separate them (provocateurs) from the students as soon as we recognize them at the rally," he said. (01)