Student protest on Heroes Day

Student protest on Heroes Day

SEMARANG (JP): Students marked National Heroes Day, which fell
on Wednesday, by staging rallies. They picked various themes,
ranging from calls for a thorough inquiry into alleged military
atrocities to demands for independence.

A group of students rallied against the Indonesian Military
(TNI) here. In the peaceful demonstration, the 50 protesters from
various universities demanded an investigation into the TNI's
alleged involvement in human right abuses in the past.

At the Central Java provincial legislative compound, the group
demanded the abolishment of the military's presence in the
government from subdistrict to provincial levels. They also
protested President Abdurrahman Wahid's choice of military
members in his Cabinet.

In the capital of South Sulawesi Makassar, previously known as
Ujung Pandang, hundreds of students from seven universities
thronged the city's streets to renew their demands for a federal
state.

"If the central government turn down our suggestion, then we
will push for an independent state in Sulawesi," student leader
Munir Pelo from Muhammadiyah University said.

The students also marked National Heroes Day with a visit to
the heroes cemetery, cleaning the compound before saying prayers
and scattering flower petals on the graves. (27/har/edt)