Suwarna denies helping student demonstrators

Suwarna denies helping student demonstrators

JAKARTA (JP): Free meals became a sensitive issue on Wednesday
as an angry governor denied he had a vested interest in feeding
demonstrating students.

East Kalimantan Governor Suwarna Abdul Fatah issued a written
statement denying he had masterminded student demonstrations in
the provincial capital of Samarinda, saying he had provided the
hungry protesters with meals "on a humanitarian basis."

The students demonstrated and camped in the provincial
administrative office last week to demand transparency in the
investigation of alleged corruption in an Rp 21 billion (US$2.6
million) property tax case.

The students decried the decision of provincial prosecutor
Mansur Kartayasa to drop the corruption case for unclear reasons
last month.

The scandal reportedly involves at least six senior officials
and former governor A.M. Ardans, Suwarna's immediate predecessor.

Suwarna dismissed allegations that he had encouraged some
students to stage a hunger strike to attract attention to their
cause.

"About the meals, it was only a reflection of my caring
attitude toward the students," Antara quoted Suwarna as saying.

Several youth organizations led by the chairman of the local
branch of the National Committee of Indonesian Youths (KNPI)
Zainal Arifin on Monday questioned Suwarna's decision to provide
free meals to thousands of students from eight universities.

"It is likely that the demonstration received support from the
governor because his officials provided meals to the students,"
Zainal said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile in Padang, West Sumatra, hundreds of members of the
Islamic Students Association (HMI) took to the streets on Tuesday
to press city officials to stamp out prostitution in the city.

"During the New Order regime no one had the guts to protest
prostitution because it had military backing," the students said
in a statement.

In Medan, North Sumatra, students from the private
Sisingamangaraja XII University protested the alleged harassment
and violent treatment they received from officials at the
governor's office during a recent protest.

They claimed that officials beat them with sticks and called
them idiots when they tried to enter the office on Tuesday.
(28/21/prb)