Surabaya students target local television stations

SURABAYA (JP): Hundreds of students marched yesterday afternoon to the private SCTV television station here demanding their demonstration for reform be broadcast and refused to budge until the station managers yielded.

Traveling in two big buses and other personal vehicles, the students first went to the state-owned TVRI television station but were prevented from entering. They then went to SCTV, which is located nearby in the Darmo Permai housing complex.

While several of their leaders negotiated with station manager Ris Anggono, the other students from, among others, Petra Christian University, Wijaya Kusuma University and Surabaya Teachers' Training Institute, held a free-speech forum under the watchful eyes of security personnel.

One of the students, Sapardi, said their demand to be broadcast was meant to help disseminate the students' call for total reform.

The students defined reform as including the revocation of the five laws that govern the country's political system, and revision of the Armed Forces' dual function that enables the military to be not only security forces but also a political player.

They also demanded the revocation of the subversion law, the release of political prisoners, general elections, the lowering of prices of essential goods, and an investigation into alleged corruption by officials.

SCTV finally agreed to air the student demonstration on its 6 p.m. news bulletin yesterday.

The students' move echoed that of another group of student protesters who last month took over the RRI radio station and broadcast a protest against former president Soeharto.

Yesterday's demonstration called for the convening of a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to elect a new president and for Soeharto to be tried for corruption.

The same demands were made by another group of students who staged a rally at the East Java provincial legislative council. They demanded the local legislators endorse their call for the MPR special session.

In Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, 200 students from the Medan Teacher Training Institute continued with their demonstrations.

They marched to the provincial police headquarters and demanded to meet police chief Brig. Gen. Sutyono to discuss the alleged sexual harassment committed by his men toward female student protesters last month.

The students failed to meet with the police chief.

Officials

Also yesterday, demonstrations were held by students and other groups against certain officials they considered to be corrupt.

At the Ministry of Education and Culture office, staff members demanded the resignation of Director for Vocational Senior High Schools Jorlin Pakpahan for allegedly "cultivating practices of corruption, collusion and nepotism" at the ministry.

Antara reported that yesterday's was the second protest held by the same group of civil servants; the first was held last week during the transfer of duty from outgoing minister Wiranto Arismunandar to Juwono Sudarsono.

Then, the staff members demanded that the new minister fight the rampant corruption and collusion prevalent in the education ministry.

In Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, 25 students continued their sit-in at the provincial legislative council and claimed they would not budge until State Minister of Agrarian Affairs Hasan Basri Durin resigned because of alleged corruption.

Yesterday's was the students' fifth day at the complex. Supporters have been supplying the student protesters with food.

Basri Durin is the former West Sumatra governor.

Intervention

Also yesterday, two groups of students demonstrated in Surabaya and Jakarta against what they called the United States' meddling in Indonesia's internal affairs. Seventy Jakartan students rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Central Jakarta, while 200 colleagues marched to the U.S. consulate on Jl. Dr. Soetomo in the East Java capital.

Both demonstrations passed without incident after delegations were received.

In Jakarta, protesters calling themselves the Defenders Front for National Sovereignty criticized U.S. aid to local Indonesian groups.

"We reject all types of American intervention and condemn those sons and daughters of the nation who have already become the stooges of America," the group said in a statement.

The Surabaya protest, by the unknown Indonesian Saviors Forum, also criticized the reported presence of a number of U.S. naval ships close to Indonesia during last month's political turmoil and violence. (nur/21/swe)