Students demand police chief's dismissal
Suherdjoko and Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Semarang/Jayapura
Discontent with disciplinary actions taken against police officers involved in the violent handling of protesters in Papua, dozens of Papuan students demanded on Monday the dismissal of the provincial police chief.
During a rally in front of Central Java Police Headquarters, members of the Papuan Student National Front and Papuan Student League for Reform said the police chief in the easternmost province had failed to prevent his personnel from perpetrating violence during the May 10 incident in Abepura, which left at least 11 civilians and 10 police officers injured.
"It has been said that Police have been changed into a civilian (non-military) force whose job is to protect the people. But they turn out to show off their brutal and unprofessional manners," one of the students shouted.
The students unfurled banners, with slogans such as "Bring to justice those who bashed people on May 10", "Don't shut Papuan people's mouths with weapons", "Return our freedom" and "Investigate all human rights abuses in Papua".
They requested a meeting with the Central Java Police chief, but were denied an entry to the police office.
Some of students distributed leaflets containing a list of victims from the incident, totaling 31 people.
Three female students burst into tears while condemning the police. "We were not born to be beaten up," one of the students said.
They also questioned the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla for failing to meet their election promise to uphold democracy in Papua. They said democracy would not be possible until the government withdrew the military from the province.
Police clashed with hundreds of supporters of respected independence movement leaders Philep Karma and Yusak Pakage, who are currently on trial, following a court hearing at the Jayapura District Court on May 10. Prosecutors demanded five years imprisonment for each of the defendants on charges of hoisting separatist flags last December.
Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Son Ani and chief of the riot unit Adj. Comr. Novly Pitooy were transferred out of the province, while nine field officers faced a disciplinary council following the incident.
The disciplinary council sentenced the field officers on Saturday to 21 days in a police prison after finding them guilty of chasing and beating protesters and firing warning shots without an order from their superior.
Ibrahim Hadi, W. Panjaitan, Arnold, Jackson, Tamsit, Mateus, Nimrod Sroyer, Dena and Arie Afandi, all petty officers, will be transferred out of Papua as soon as they serve their jail terms.
In his defense argument, Ibrahim, the field commander, said he had lost contact with his superior in the Jayapura Police because he lost radio communication at the time of the incident.