Students continue protests, some violence reported

Students continue protests, some violence reported

JAKARTA (JP): Waves of student protests critical of the
government and demanding sweeping reforms were unrelenting
yesterday, with clashes between students and security officers
erupting on several campuses.

There was no respite in the persistent cries for the lowering
of prices of basic commodities and an insistence that the
government be held accountable for the economic doldrums
enfolding the country.

In Jakarta, four police officers were treated for head wounds
when a shower of stones was hurled by about 400 students
protesting at the Syarif Hidayatullah Institute for Islamic
Studies on the southern outskirts of the city.

The violent unfolded when students failed to break through a
police blockade preventing them from taking their protest onto
the streets. They vented their frustration by throwing stones at
the police.

No arrests were made, however.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said police
deplored the incident and pleaded that it should be the last of
such violence to happen in the capital.

Meanwhile, two other institutions, the Institute for Computer
Management (STIMIK) and Tarumanegara University, according to
Antara, were able to hold minor demonstrations which eventually
moved onto the streets.

Students at STIMIK held a free-speech forum which heard from
notable speakers including former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin.

In the North Sumatra capital of Medan, the situation was
relatively calm yesterday after the previous day in which
students from Sumatra Utara University clashed with security
officers.

A puff of black smoke was seen, however, as about two dozen
students from Ksatria Academy of Information and Computers set
fire to tires during a rally on their campus.

Long banners spread around the campus carried their
statements: Reformasi Oke. Kau-Perasi? Tidak Layau! (Reforms Yes.
You Manipulate Us? Of course not!), ABRI=Mahasiswa=Rakyat Sama-
Sama Susah (Armed Forces=Students=People Suffering Together), and
Oh Tuhan, Tolong Dengar Aspirasi Kami (Oh God, Please Listen to
Our Aspirations).

In a related development yesterday, the local chapter of the
Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) lodged a strong protest
over the beating of an Antara journalist covering Wednesday's
protest at the Sumatra Utara University campus.

Munawar Mundaling, 30, was allegedly beaten up by plainclothes
officers despite having shown them his official press badge.

In the East Java capital of Surabaya, more than 2,000 students
from several universities staged a free-speech forum and a
theatrical performance on the campus of the Surabaya Teachers
Training Institute (IKIP Surabaya).

The free-speech forum featured an English professor, Djoko
Marhaen, who asked the students to continue their protests and
keep demanding reforms in every sector of state life.

The event was witnessed by hundreds of security personnel who
watched from behind a fence.

Reform fever also caught on at several campuses in which
protests are a rarity.

In Yogyakarta, about 1,500 students of the military-managed
Pembangunan Nasional University called on the government to
faithfully implement the 1945 Constitution.

Rector Prof. Tarwotjo and deputy rector in charge of student
affairs, Brig. Gen. (ret) Helmizan, were both present at the
demonstration.

In Semarang, Central Java, 3,000 students from various
universities gathered on the grounds of the Diponegoro University
campus.

The protest also drew the attention of hundreds of nearby
residents who came to watch the demonstration, where students
demanded the government be held accountable for the economic
predicament.

A minor clash occurred when police officers, backed by troops
and several military armored vehicles, forced back students who
tried to make their way to the streets.

In the West Java capital of Bandung, similar student
demonstrations took place in at least seven universities here --
the Sunan Gunung Djati Islamic Institute, the Mandala Technical
College , the Textile Technology Institute, and YPKP Economic
College (STIE YPKP), and the Bandung Institute of Technology.

An estimated 1,000 students of the Bandung Institute of
Technology were able to march on the street, peacefully
attempting to take their protest to the nearby Padjadjaran
University.

But they were later stopped by police and troops who had set
up a blockade at strategic street points leading to the
Padjadjaran campus. No violence was reported as they dispersed.

In Surakarta, Central Java, student activists held a free-
speech forum at the Muhammadiyah Surakarta University campus
calling for lower prices and immediate reforms.

The early morning rally spontaneously traveled onto the
streets but security forces standing guard were lenient. They
allowed them to march peacefully along the Solo-Semarang roadway.

Police officers were kept busy attempting to ease the traffic
congestion caused by the rally. (21/23/44/43/har/nur/edt/aan)