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)