Students protest road construction

Students protest road construction

BANDUNG, West Java: Thousands of students of the state-owned
Teachers' Training College (IKIP) marched yesterday in protest of
a planned road which will cut through their campus.

The students initially planned to march to City Hall and meet
with Mayor Ateng Wahyudi to deliver their protest, but halfway
from their campus on Jl. Setiabudi they were met by riot police
of the Mobile Brigade.

Heated arguments took place between student leaders and the
police, and a scuffle ensued. Students who managed to pass the
barricade, however, were met by another group of security
officers.

Not long afterwards, two tanks were sent to prevent the
students from proceeding with their march. Six students were
later received by the commander of the Bandung military command,
Lt. Col. Osaka Meliala.

Two deputies of the IKIP rector, Said Hamid Hasan and Fuad
Abdul Hamid, later managed to persuade the students to return to
the campus.

The mayor is currently in Saudi Arabia on the haj pilgrimage.

The planned road is expected to ease congestion on Jl.
Setiabudi which connects Bandung with the tourism area of
Lembang. Administrators of IKIP, however, have requested the
Bandung municipality administration to review the plan.

"This campus is a historical site, because it was built during
the time of Dutch colonial administration," spokesperson Din
Syamsuddin said. (17)