Students demand friends' release

Students demand friends' release

BANDUNG: A group of students claiming to represent seven
student organizations demanded here on Tuesday the release of
nine of their colleagues arrested in connection with unrest on
the Sumatra island of Bintan in January.

Spokesman for the group Rafael Situmorang condemned the
arrests as arbitrary, saying the students were advocating local
residents seeking fair compensation for the land they had sold to
investors.

"We were concerned about the people's fate. That is why we
decided to go to Bintan and offer advocacy," Rafael from the
Bandung Institute of Technology said.

Rafael was among the activists advocating the Bintan
residents. He escaped when the police moved to disperse hundreds
of protesters who occupied Inti Industrial Estate in Lodam, North
Bintan.

A total of 44 people were arrested during the operation. They
are now being held at the East Riau Police precinct and facing
charges of provoking unrest and possessing sharp weapons.
(25/edt)