Sulawesi students occupy airport, legislatures, gubernatorial hotel

Sulawesi students occupy airport, legislatures, gubernatorial hotel

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): Around 300 students
protesting the Special Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) occupied the runway of Hasanuddin Airport here on
Friday.

The students, who arrived on board five trucks, entered the
airport through the cargo entrance and demanded the airport
authorities issue them with tickets to Jakarta so that they could
join students demonstrations there.

They also took the opportunity to condemn former president
Soeharto and the Armed Forces' (ABRI) role in politics. The
students arrived at 11 a.m. and stayed for about six hours before
security personnel dispersed them using tear gas.

The gas knocked some students unconscious. Other students
hurled stones at security officers while they retreated. The
security forces were led by South Sulawesi Police chief Brig.
Gen. Mudji Santoso.

Airport officials said they had to cancel 14 incoming and
outgoing flights scheduled by Garuda, Merpati and Mandala while
the students were occupying the runway. Some students even
threatened to camp there overnight.

Meanwhile, in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, hundreds of
students led by Marcos Simaremare failed to force the state-owned
TVRI station to broadcast a statement they had issued. The
station head told them it was not possible because the Special
Session was being broadcast from Jakarta.

Marcos said the students wanted former president Soeharto be
brought to trial.

Friday marked the students' second day in occupation of the
provincial legislative council building. They denied they were
holding legislators hostage and said they only wanted to use the
council as a stage from which to make their point.

They said they also wanted to teach members of the Assembly
from North Sumatra a valuable lesson, adding that they planned to
intercept them when they arrived back from Jakarta at Polonia
Airport on Saturday or Sunday.

Police officers put the number of demonstrators at over 1,000,
down slightly from the number counted on Thursday.

The students held firm in their demand for the Armed Forces to
be stripped of its political role and for Soeharto and his
cronies to be brought to trial.

In Yogyakarta, around 500 students and local youths staged a
rally to deliver the same demands as their contemporaries in many
other cities. They also called on civilians to beware of what
they believe to be a campaign organized by the military and
remnants of Soeharto's New Order regime to divide and thereby
rule the country's civilian population.

Meanwhile, Antara reported that clashes occurred between
student protesters and security personnel in front of the RRI
radio station in Malang, East Java.

Muhammadiyah Moslem Youth demanded access to the station's
facilities to air their demands, but were prevented from entering
the building by security personnel.

No serious injuries were reported.

In the East Java capital of Surabaya, apparently inspired by
the actions of independence fighters in November 1945, dozens of
students scaled the Mandarin Majapahit Hotel building.

They waved flags from the roof and later held a free speech
forum to air their demands.

In Salatiga, Central Java, around 300 students from
Satyawacana Christian University staged a protest on their
campus. They denounced Soeharto, criticized ABRI and said that
the Constitution guaranteed that any capable person, regardless
of sex, ethnicity and religion, is eligible to become president
of Indonesia.

In Bandung, the capital of West Java, hundreds of students
rallied and unsuccessfully attempted to occupy the provincial
legislative council. Undeterred, they sat in the middle of Jl.
Diponegoro and held a free speech forum.

Later in the day, they marched through the city's main
thoroughfares. No clashes were reported.

Separately, at the Bandung Institute of Technology campus,
students prepared to set out for Jakarta after hearing reports
that a student had been killed in a clash with security personnel
in the nation's capital. (30/21/43/har/swa/nur)