Twelve officers to be court-martialled over riots
Twelve officers to be court-martialled over riots
JAKARTA (JP): The 12 officers accused of "responding
excessively" to student demonstrations last month in the South
Sulawesi capital of Ujungpandang will be tried by the end of this
month.
Chief Spokesman of the Wirabuana Regional Military Command Lt.
Col. Mochtar Darise told The Jakarta Post by telephone yesterday
that military prosecutors are preparing the dossiers on the
soldiers.
Three of the 12 soldiers are high-ranking officers in the
local military command, Mochtar said. He declined to reveal the
soldiers' names or exact military ranks.
Chief of the Wirabuana Military Command Maj. Gen. Sulatin said
on Saturday that the 12 soldiers would be court-martialled for
their role in the military's handling of the student
demonstrations that led to the deaths of three students.
The soldiers will be charged with what he called an "excessive
response" to a flurry of violent demonstrations that involved an
estimated 10,000 students from various universities in
Ujungpandang, Sulatin said.
Students from state and private-owned universities and
colleges in Ujungpandang took to the streets in a wave of
demonstrations which began on April 22 to protest the public bus
fare increase from Rp 300 (13 U.S. cents) to Rp 500.
The students reportedly went on the rampage during the
demonstrations, setting up roadblocks, vandalizing buses and
other public property, and hurling stones at riot police.
The protests soon turned into clashes when security officers
entered college campuses, chasing students with rattan sticks and
making arrests.
The regional military command and the investigation team,
which was established on April 27, have admitted that some of
their members "erred" and resorted to violence.
The National Commission on Human Rights announced in a press
briefing on Wednesday that it had found "violations of rights
which led to the death of three students, scores of injuries, and
much vandalism".
The three students reportedly died because they plunged into
the Pampang River while trying to escape from security officers
who had entered their campus during the protests.
Reports on the number of fatalities vary, however, with
organizations such as the Ujungpandang office of the Indonesian
Legal Aid organization, which also established its own fact-
finding team, saying that six people actually died.
The South Sulawesi provincial administration responded soon
after the massive rioting by declaring that it was canceling the
Ujungpandang mayor's fare increase decree. (imn)
Editorial -- Page 4