Students demand police chief's dismissal

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.