Students honor 'reform heroes'

JAKARTA (JP): Students at most universities throughout the country postponed classes yesterday to hold rallies honoring four peers who died in Jakarta Tuesday when security personnel opened fire on what students insisted was a peaceful protest.

The largest rally was held at Trisakti's main campus on Jl. S. Parman in West Jakarta, the site of the tragedy. Staunch government critics were in attendance. They include Megawati Soekarnoputri, who has largely kept silent for the past three months.

Thousands also turned up at the Tanah Kusir and Al Kamal cemeteries in Jakarta and Cipakurung cemetery in Bandung for burials of the four Trisakti students.

Trisakti rector Mudanto Martejo called the dead students "heroes" of the reformation movement, a sentiment also expressed in posters waved at the Trisakti rally and the funerals.

Their friends went even further, describing them as "martyrs" who "died fighting for justice and truth".

Mudanto implored student protesters at other campuses to keep their rallies peaceful to honor their dead colleagues.

The appeal was widely observed in rallies in Jakarta and elsewhere in the country.

The four were the first fatalities among students after nearly three months of incessant protests at almost all higher learning institutions, calling for economic and political reforms.

Confusion persisted yesterday about the death toll.

The body count was four, and that number of funerals was held in Jakarta and Bandung.

Some reports, however, said there were six deaths.

Buried yesterday were Heri Hartanto of the School of Industrial Technology; Elang Mulya of the School of Architecture; Hendriawan Lesmana of the School of Economics, and Hafidhin Royan of the School of Civil Engineering.

Two other students widely reported to have died were Vero Prasetyo and Alan Mulyadi, both of the School of Economics.

But Stef Wawolangi, a college administrator who runs the makeshift crisis center at Trisakti, said the two were still being treated at nearby Sumber Waras Hospital. "They are in critical condition," Stef told The Jakarta Post.

The crisis center at Trisakti issued a list of 28 people who were injured and 27 unaccounted as of yesterday. Stef said some of those missing had since been located and the number had dropped below 20.

Mudanto handed over the bodies of the four students, who had been taken to Sumber Waras Hospital, to their families in a tearful and emotional ceremony held at 5 a.m. yesterday.

"This is a gray day for Trisakti University's Big Family with the death of the students," Mudanto said in a hoarse voice.

"I'm convinced the title of 'Heroes of Reformation' conferred on them will find wide acceptance among all the people who crave reforms.

"They may not be regarded as heroes in the government's eyes because they were considered to be disturbing national stability."

Besides the university's faculty and students, the ceremony was attended by students from other universities and by Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoedin, his chief of staff Brig. Gen Sudi Silalahi and the chief of the regional military police Col. Hendardji.

Mudanto said students should not stop fighting for their cause despite the tragedy, although he did ask for greater precautions to prevent more victims.

"I fully support your reform demands. But this tragedy showed that taking it to the streets carries a great risk," he said to a crowd which was largely silent except for the sounds of sobbing.

"We are gratified (to the grieving families) for letting us have this short ceremony. On behalf of the civitas academica, I'm handing the remains of the students to their families to be buried in accordance with their religions."

Elang and Heri were buried at Tanah Kusir cemetery in South Jakarta, and Hendriawan was buried at Al Kamal cemetery in Kebun Jeruk, West Jakarta, after his parents arrived from Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

The body of Hafidhin was collected by his family who came from Bandung, and he was buried at Ciparukung cemetery in the West Java town.

At Tanah Kusir, several female students fainted in the scorching heat and the emotionally charged atmosphere as the bodies of Heri and Elang were lowered into their graves.

Others broke into whails of grief.

Several male students fought for the right to carry the bodies of the two victims in the brief procession from the vehicles to their last resting place.

The two were buried side by side, Heri first, and Elang about 10 minutes later.

There were chants of Allahu Akbar (God is Great) by the thousands of students and observers. Some hummed the tune Gugur Bunga (Fallen Flowers) traditionally sung for heroes.

Komang Sukarsana, third assistant to Trisakti's rector, represented the university.

Elang's father, Boy Bagus Yoga Nandita, gave a brief but tearful speech at the funeral.

"I'm letting go of my son Elang as a martyr because we are convinced that he had been chosen by God. And I'm convinced that the cause he fought for will be continued by others," Boy said to loud applause.

Other student leaders stepped up to give their eulogies, all vowing to continue where their peers had left off.

Gede Mahendra from the University of Indonesia said the four students had given their last blood to the reformation struggle.

The students were "martyrs" killed in a holy war, he said. "They died while fighting for justice and truth."

The grim atmosphere marking the ceremony and the funeral contrasted with the anger and emotions which ran high at the rally at Trisakti's Jl. S. Parman campus yesterday morning.

Megawati and Amien Rais were among the public figures who took turns at the podium to urge students to be careful, but also to continue with their struggle for reforms.

Students and college administrators insisted their protests on Tuesday had been peaceful and that they were on the point of dispersing when the shooting began.

The students had held a protest since the morning and had tried to take their action to the street, but they were stopped by lines of riot police, they said.

There was a brief standoff as students and security officers negotiated a peaceful solution. They had reached an agreement in which both students and soldiers would pull back simultaneously.

Then the shooting began.

Former Supreme Court justice Adi Andojo, who is dean of Trisakti's School of Law, said he had addressed the students that Tuesday afternoon and had left the site at about 5 p.m., convinced that the event would pass peacefully.

Other college administrators pointed out that the students were shot inside the campus, and not on the street.

Doctors at Sumber Waras Hospital confirmed the four students admitted had bullet wounds.

Wreaths were placed yesterday at the spots where the students were killed. One was laid in front of the rectorate office, where Elang was shot, and another on the steps of the college's lobby, where Heri died as friends tried to rush him to the hospital. (team)