Student rallies on the rise in 2000

YOGYAKARTA: The number of student rallies is expected to rise here next year, but police are much more wary of the rising crime rate.

Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Dadang Sutrisno said in a year-end conference on Wednesday that more student rallies would occur as a consequence of the government's economic recovery program, which remains uncompleted.

"It's quite normal in this era of openness. Moreover, this town is a home to tens of thousands of students," Dadang said.

During 1999 there were 183 student demonstrations here, a drop from 373 in 1998, the year when president Soeharto resigned. This year there was a student rally on average once every two days.

Dadang expressed his concern over student drug abuse. He said out of 78 suspected drug users arrested this year, half of them were students.

He said motorcycle theft had decreased this year, but still topped the list of crimes with 776 cases. Last year there were 807 thefts.

"Police managed to solve 15 percent of the cases in 1998, and 20.6 percent in 1999," he said. (44)