Students honor 'reform heroes'

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)