Students take to streets despite military's warnings

Students take to streets despite military's warnings

JAKARTA (JP): Despite the military's continuous warnings to
stop off-campus demonstrations, thousands of students took to the
streets across the country yesterday demanding immediate reforms
and lower fuel prices.

No fatalities were reported but dozens of protesters were
injured during clashes with security forces.

Unlike their colleagues staging peaceful protests inside
campus grounds, some of the street protesters burnt tires and
wood to express their frustration over the government's slow
response to their demands for total reform.

In some cities, numerous high school students, who have just
taken their final examinations, joined the antigovernment
rallies. This caused serious traffic congestion and led many
people, particularly shop owners, to temporarily close their
businesses.

In Jakarta, tens of thousands of students from both state and
privately run universities staged individual street rallies and
on-campus protests, which were immediately contained by police
and troops.

"I don't want Jakarta to become Medan," City Police Chief Maj.
Gen. Hamami Nata told reporters, referring to the rioting in the
capital of North Sumatra.

"I personally put my job and my entire responsibility into
this matter," he said.

State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs H.R. Agung Laksono
also urged students across the country to stop taking to the
streets to voice their demands.

"It's better to stage rallies on the campus or list the
demands or hold a dialog (with state officials)," the minister
said.

Thousands of students from six universities in southern
Jakarta joined a rally at STIE Gunadarma campus on Jl. Akses UI
in Depok and spilled over onto the street.

The sea of protesters managed to march 150 meters to welcome
fellow students from Jayabaya University before their way was
blockaded by security officers.

The students threw stones at the security officers, who
replied with batons, warning shots and tear gas.

At least 21 students were injured in the incident.

In East Jakarta, 700 student protesters at the privately run
Indonesian Management Secretarial Academy (ASMI) and the
Indonesian Maritime Academy (AMI) were forced by the security
forces to stay off the streets.

Also in East Jakarta, 100 students from the Jakarta Teachers
Training Institute staged a noisy but peaceful antigovernment
rally on their campus.

Student leaders -- standing on a balcony of the faculty of
social sciences -- listed their criticisms over the government,
including the way ministers had handled the economic crisis and
the decision to increase fuel and electricity prices.

One assistant dean and several lecturers joined the protest,
urging the students to keep up their pressure for economic and
political reform.

"Never give up hope ... students, lecturers and the public
should unite," one lecturer said.

A student was seen collecting money to help finance colleagues
who were injured in Saturday's incident during a clash with
security personnel when they were trying to take the rally on to
the street.

At least 30 riot police were seen outside the campus.

Officer

A plainclothes security officer, later identified as Sgt.
Teguh, was seized by the students inside the campus compound when
he was found possessing a fake student card, a gun and a walkie-
talkie.

Like their colleagues at the Teachers Training Institute in
Jakarta, thousands of university students from various
institutions in the West Java capital of Bandung joined two
separate rallies held in the compound of the Bandung Institute of
Technology (ITB) and the private Parahyangan University.

A number of ITB's professors were seen mingling with the
students in front of the campus, airing support for the student
protests.

Also in West Java, 500 students and alumni of the Bogor
Institute of Agriculture held a free-speech forum at the Darmaga
campus.

In Surakarta, Central Java, thousands of students clashed with
security personnel when they tried to march off the Surakarta
Muhammadiyah University campus.

At least 11 students and 40 security personnel were injured.
Two students and one security officer were rushed to the nearby
hospital for treatment.

Similar street protests were also held by students from
various universities in Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Semarang.

In the South Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang, around 20,000
students from 17 universities packed the streets on motorcycles,
cars, buses and trucks.

Shops were hastily closed by their owners, worrying that the
street rally would turn into a riot. The traffic in the city was
totally paralyzed as some of the students blocked the streets.

At least 10 students were arrested by police for disturbing
public order.

In the East Kalimantan capital of Samarinda, hundreds of
students from the state Mulawarman University flooded the city's
narrow streets, voicing the same demands.

Shops, banks, restaurants and other business activities were
immediately closed to prevent serious incidents.

A clash took place on Jl. Agus Salim when security personnel
blockaded the students' route.

A number of students and officers were injured and nine
students were arrested. A vehicle owned by the local government
was damaged.

Student demonstrations calling on the government to implement
political and economical reforms flared up across the country in
February following the rupiah's collapse and the resulting hike
of essential goods and services nationwide. (team)