Student protests continue on at least 30 campuses

JAKARTA (JP): Waves of student protests calling for reforms and lower prices for basic commodities continued yesterday in at least 30 universities across the nation, with thousands of students and their lecturers jointly staging on-campus demonstrations.

No violence or arrests were reported during the peaceful protests which took place in at least five universities here and dozens of others in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Ujungpandang, Padang, and Medan.

The security presence remained high during several on-campus rallies in the "student town" of Yogyakarta where thousands of students and lecturers of at least five privately run universities staged separate protests.

At least four trucks of riot police were deployed to the entrance gates of Muhammadiyah University to keep protesters from marching onto the Yogyakarta-Magelang Highway.

The university's student senate chairman led the mass gathering of students and lecturers which incorporated a free- speech forum, a theatrical show, and a marching band.

Deputy Rector Said Thuleleymeaki and several school deans and lecturers mingled with the students who sang patriotic songs and the university's anthem, with full musical backing from a marching band.

Free-speech forums calling for lower prices of basic commodities and reforms were also held separately in the Indonesian Islamic University (UII), Widya Mataram University, Kerja Sama High School of Economics (STIKEPS), and Atma Jaya University.

The demonstration at the UII campus alongside busy Jl. Cik Di Tiro was "officially opened" by Deputy Rector Mahfud M.D., before students and school deans participated in a free-speech forum.

During his opening address, Mahfud said the incoming cabinet ministers should be "clean, honest, professional, people- oriented".

"The crisis has called for very serious attention from all the nation's leaders," he said, warning that leaders should not simply care about their own postings.

In Jakarta, more than 1,000 students from five separate universities -- state-run Jakarta Teachers Training Institute (IKIP Jakarta), Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jayabaya University, the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) and Nasional University (Unas) also staged similar protests.

At Jayabaya University in East Jakarta's Pulomas, Rector Sjamsu Anwar addressed more than 200 of the university's protesting students.

"The nation must unite if it is to get out of this crisis. I hope your protests will run peacefully and may our voices be heard by all related institutions in this country," he said.

In East Java's capital of Surabaya, more than 3,000 from the state-run Airlangga University and more than 5,000 from privately run Surabaya Institute of Technology held a mass gathering on their campus grounds, demanding newly elected President Soeharto step down from the presidency.

Simultaneously, hundreds of students of the state-run Sunan Ampel Islamic Institute (IAIN Sunan Ampel), IKIP Surabaya, Surabaya University, Tujuhbelas Augustus University, Petra Christian University also staged similar protests.

In West Java's capital of Bandung, protests were also held by more than 1,000 students in at least four universities -- the Bandung Institute of Technology, Padjadjaran University, and privately run Islamic University of Bandung and the University of Pasundan.

In the South Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang, hundreds of students rallied for a second consecutive day at the University of '45.

In Denpasar, the capital of the resort island of Bali, more than 300 students, staff and alumni from state-run Udayana University staged a similar protest.

In Central Java's capital of Semarang, the protests were also staged at the campuses of Diponegoro University, IAIN Walisongo, and Sultan Agung Islamic University.

Also in Surakarta, Central Java, thousands of students of the Sebelas Maret University -- accompanied by their rector, Haris Mudjiman -- staged a similar protest.

In North Sumatra's capital of Medan, more than 1,000 students of the state-run Sumatra Utara University also demonstrated for the same cause.

In the West Sumatra capital of Padang, more than 1,000 Bung Hatta University and IKIP Padang students also demanded reforms and protested against Soeharto's reappointment, Antara said.

Padang Police chief Lt. Col. Moch. Yusrin said the protests ran smoothly without any incidents of violence. (23/43/21/30/nur/har/ind/aan)