Students clash with police over beating

Students clash with police over beating

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of students from STM PGRI VII technical
high school in Central Jakarta clashed with riot police on
Wednesday after one of their peers was beaten by the officers.

After successfully driving the police out of the privately run
school on Jl. Salemba Raya, the students locked the compound's
front gate and pelted the officers with stones, bricks and broken
glass.

Several passersby were also hit in the fray, which flared up
from a long-standing dispute between students and local
residents.

The students barred entry to the compound as they continued to
assail the officers with debris.

The heated situation continued for two hours until an
unidentified uniformed navy lieutenant colonel met the students
and persuaded them to desist.

Students demanded the riot police officers apologize to them
and immediately leave the scene.

The officer replied: "I am a brother (officer) of the police
force and, on behalf of them, I apologize."

As the police withdrew from the area, the students kept their
word and dispersed peacefully.

According to local Senen police subprecinct chief Capt.
Moelyono S., the students were initially involved in a street
brawl with residents of Kampung Kenari, located across from their
school, in the continuation of a prolonged dispute.

"Brawls in this area are an old story. And we've had enough of
them," he said.

Students were incensed when they saw one of their peers caught
and beaten by the officers with a rattan stick.

The police had been guarding the nearby University of
Indonesia campus. A gathering of hundreds of alumni was held on
Wednesday.

One of the school's teachers, Loksa Aritonang, said: "I've
shouted and asked the police not to use violence in handling my
students."

Passersby and motorists watched the unfolding incident as the
students remained inside their compound and listened to their
friends' spontaneous speeches. A traffic snarl developed in the
area.

"The police have violated our human rights. They treat us like
dogs," one student said. (emf)