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)