Ujungpandang students push for officials' trial
JAKARTA (JP): A group of students pushed their demand yesterday for court action against government and military officials involved in the Ujungpandang tragedy in April.
About a dozen students from the Ujungpandang-based Moslem University told National Commission on Human Rights activists that the authorities were unbearably slow in handling the case.
They questioned whether the investigation into the tragedy was continuing and if the compensation South Sulawesi officials had promised to the victims' relatives had been distributed.
"It is difficult for us to get answers from the authorities about the investigation. All channels for information have been blocked," Usman, one of the students, said.
The tragedy occurred on April 22 when thousands of students from numerous universities in Ujungpandang took to the streets to protest a bus fare increase from Rp 300 (13 US cents) to Rp 500.
During several days of demonstrations which met with harsh response from the military, three students were killed, according to the government's version.
The government's account was confirmed by the rights commission, which held its own investigation. Students, however, claim that they lost up to eight colleagues during the violence.
The military claimed the three died after they plunged into a river while attempting to evade the soldiers who were chasing them. The fatalities triggered a wave of student demonstrations in many cities, including Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Semarang.
Dossiers of 12 military officers suspected of "responding excessively" to the protests were filed in early June. A court hearing, however, has not yet begun.
"We fear that delaying the case would eventually cause the issue to die down," Misna, another student, said.
Baharuddin Lopa, the commission's secretary-general, allayed the students' worries. He said he believed the trial would open and those found guilty would receive their due punishment.
Lopa also advised the students to be more patient on the investigation, because it depended on many elements that were not easily provable.
"We can only ask about possible obstacles facing the investigation, but not why the investigation seems stagnated," Lopa told the students.
Lopa said that the commission would send a letter to agencies connected with the investigation.
He also suggested to the students to consider personally approaching provincial administrators for victims' compensation.
"You would not succeed if you confronted Indonesians with laws and regulations alone. You need to show good manners and respect toward others," Lopa added.
Accompanying the students was Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, executive director of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy, who said that the government could perhaps give the public some information about the investigation's progress. (14)