Trisakti students launch reform tour

JAKARTA (JP): Forty Trisakti University students have begun a reform tour to 25 universities throughout the country to reignite the reform movement, for which four of their colleagues were killed last May.

The tour kicked off on Tuesday with Trisakti rector Thoby Mutis speaking to a gathering at the university's campus in West Jakarta.

Thoby urged students to unite and create a coordinated strategy to be implemented throughout the country.

"The reform movement has yet to end. Students should rethink their goals and improve their unity," Thoby said.

Trisakti student senate chairman Yulianto Hendro Cahyono said the tour was aimed at generating support from other universities to press the Armed Forces to investigate and reveal the killers of their four friends.

The four students were killed on May 12 during a demonstration which later led to the resignation of then president Soeharto. They were Heri Hartanto of the School of Industrial Technology, Elang Mulya of the School of Architecture, Hendriawan Sie of the School of Economics and Hafidhin Royan of the School of Civil Engineering.

So far, only two police officers have been sentenced to prison by a military tribunal for ordering their men to shoot at the demonstrators.

"We will screen a film about the May incident at every university we visit," Hendro said.

Soon after the kicking-off ceremony, the student delegation left for the Bogor Institute of Agriculture.

Patimura University in Ambon, Maluku, in the eastern part of Indonesia is the last university scheduled on the tour, which ends on Oct. 8.

The Rp 60 million tour is being funded by the university, he said. (jun)