Students urge probe into Makassar deaths

Students urge probe into Makassar deaths

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Thousands of students in the South Sulawesi capital of
Makassar marched on Wednesday to commemorate the killing of three
local students in a clash with security forces in 1996.

The protesters were students from the Indonesian Islamic
University (UMI), University of Makassar (UNM), Muhammadiyah
University and the State Academy of Islamic Studies (IAIN) and
they demanded the deaths be thoroughly investigated.

They urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas
HAM) to establish a fact-finding team to look into the bloody
tragedy.

"We have gathered here in the street to urge Komnas HAM to
find the cause of our friends' deaths, which remains unclear," a
student leader, identified only as Aqil, told a free speech forum
during the demonstration.

Fellow protesters also called on the South Sulawesi
legislative council to set up a special committee to investigate
the murder, added the protesting students.

Their other demands included the revocation of the Indonesian
Military's (TNI) much-condemned dual function, which allows it to
be involved in political affairs.

The dead victims were Syaiful Bya, Muhammad Tasrif and Andi
Sultan Iskandar, all UMI students who were killed when security
personnel stormed their campus on Jl. Urip Sumohardjo on April
24, 1996.

Wednesday's rally started from the Islamic Panaikang cemetery,
in which Syaiful Bya and Tasrif are buried.

Before the protesters ended their rally at Andi's grave in the
Islamic Dadi cemetery, they marched to the provincial legislative
council from UMI's campus and Makassar's 1945 University campus.

Aqil added the rally was also aimed at commemorating
Makassar's student movement against the Soeharto government's
fuel price policy, which disadvantaged low-income people.

It was also to commemorate the frequent clashes between the
police and military with anti-government demonstrators, he said.
"The action is actually meant to observe the student spirit of
resistance against the TNI and police."

Speaker of the South Sulawesi legislative council Amin Syam,
who met the demonstrators, vowed to pass on their demands to
Komnas HAM and other relevant authorities as a "priority".

The demonstrators dispersed peacefully. There was no report of
any clashes during the protest, which caused heavy traffic on Jl.
Urip Sumohardjo.

Makassar Police chief Sr. Comr. Amin Saleh, who monitored the
rally closely, thanked the students for the peaceful
demonstration.