Unrest spread to Surabaya, Yogyakarta and other towns

Unrest spread to Surabaya, Yogyakarta and other towns

SURABAYA (JP): Economic activities ground to a halt and
tension and fear reigned yesterday when a demonstration of
thousands of people degenerated into an orgy of large-scale
rioting, burning and looting in this capital of East Java.

Mobs stoned shops and vehicles in different parts of the city,
sometimes resorting to setting them ablaze. The unrest began
after Friday prayers when thousands of students formed a
motorcade in a procession down the city's streets, joined later
by other members of the community.

Hundreds of shops closed when the demonstrators started to
mill about the streets. They started by throwing stones at
passing motorists. The people then moved on to stopping vehicles,
ordering their occupants out and stripping them of their
possessions.

The masses burned some of the vehicles and properties on Jl.
Panglima Soedirman, Jl. Urip Sumohardjo, Jl. Kapas Krampung and
Jl. Danakarya.

The provincial legislative office building was also pelted
with stones by what some witnesses described as thugs. The
rioters continued on their journey of destruction around the city
until late in the evening.

All gas stations closed and public transportation stopped
operating. Security personnel closed several streets and the
chief of the Brawijaya Regional Military Command, Maj. Gen. Djaja
Suparman, told The Jakarta Post in the evening that the city was
under control.

He also said that the convoy of protesters had been steered
out of the city. He called on the public to help the military
keep watch on their neighborhoods.

In Yogyakarta, tensions ran high when thousands of people left
their residences and gathered on Jl. Solo, Jl. Senopati, Jl.
Ahmad Dahlan, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Diponegoro and other smaller
streets. Vendors raced to close their shops, a move which was
also followed by banks and offices, for fear of a repeat of the
vandalism which had occurred in neighboring Surakarta.

Property owners attempted to avert the possibility of
vandalism by plastering their houses or shops with posters
bearing messages such as "We support reform" or "Reform, OK!".

The mass on Jl. Solo dispersed peacefully after the sultan of
Yogyakarta addressed them and appeased their concerns. He also
met with academics at his palace in a dialog.

Some residents also plastered their houses with signs saying
"Owned by natives" in the hope the mobs, which have tended to hit
properties of Chinese-Indonesians, would bypass their homes.

There were exchanges of stone throwing, but tension gradually
died down without major violence.

In Surakarta and neighboring Boyolali, Central Java, vandalism
also occurred, but on a smaller scale than Thursday. Dozens of
shops were either damaged or burned, but there were no
casualties.

Similar rioting occurred in Bandar Lampung yesterday. Rioting
also hit Palembang on Thursday, but the tension remained until
yesterday especially because the charred wreckage of vehicles
littered the streets. Shops and offices were still closed, as
they were on Batam Island.

Tension persisted in Pekanbaru, Riau, Bengkulu and Semarang,
the capital of Central Java.

Students

While condemning the rioting and looting by mobs over past two
days, students in many cities continued yesterday with their
demonstrations for reform.

Students in several cities made a point of staying within the
confines of their campuses during their demonstration -- in order
not to be dragged into rioting by locals -- or clearly
distinguished themselves from other groups as they marched down
the streets to a determined destination, mostly the local
legislative councils.

"Please, differentiate student demonstrations for reform with
that rioting where people ransacked and looted properties," said
one student interviewed by a private television station.

"If this is what people meant by the reform of their choice,
then may be we shouldn't have reform at all," he continued.

Among the students who demonstrated yesterday were those in
Bandar Lampung and other cities in Lampung province, the East
Java cities of Malang and Surabaya, Bandung, West Java, and
Yogyakarta.

In Surabaya, dozens of students forced their way into the
state-run radio station RRI as thousands of others kept guard
outside. The students insisted on issuing a statement, broadcast
live, calling on the community to stop violence, burning and
looting.

The students also called on the people to concentrate their
movement on the demand for reform. Station chief Mukhidi said he
allowed the students use of the facilities because "their message
was in line with our own mission".

Also in Surabaya, about 4,000 housewives, female students,
factory workers, activists, nuns and prostitutes gathered at the
Airlangga University and held a free-speech forum where they
voiced support for the student movement for reform.

In Malang, at least 40 professors of Brawijaya University
joined about 10,000 students in a free-speech forum, before
marching to the Suropati heroes cemetery. The protesters demanded
sweeping reform and the convening of a special session of the
People's Consultative Assembly to elect a new leadership.

In Yogyakarta, Indonesia Islamic University rector Zaini
Dahlan said the college administrators decided to protect and be
fully responsible for all student demonstrations held within the
campus.

The faculty also donated Rp 20.8 million of their two months'
basic salaries to pay for medical expenses for students who fell
ill or were injured during demonstrations, Antara reported.

"Just ... be alert of possible efforts to provoke you into
violence. We (faculty and administration) only support peaceful,
nonviolent demonstrations," he told thousands of students.

In Bandung, thousands of students from various universities
gathered at the Gedung Sate city hall after Friday prayers to
deliver fiery speeches and demand the resignation of President
Soeharto.

The demonstration proceeded peacefully and was highlighted by
the presence of a delegation from the School of Aeronautics whose
members wore uniform and marched smartly into the gathering. They
carried a big poster demanding reform and a new president. The
students dispersed peacefully several hours later.

From Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh, it was reported that
hundreds of Abulyatama University students marched for 8.5
kilometers from their campus to the local legislative council
where they laid condolence wreaths over the deaths of four
students in Jakarta Tuesday.

The silent procession went peacefully, under the watchful eyes
of a team of riot police, and the students dispersed soon
afterward.

In Jambi, dozens of street vendors visited the local
legislative council to convey their support for student movement
for reform, while in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara,
various universities held separate demonstrations joined by
lecturers and professors.

In Cilacap, Central Java, the attempt of hundreds of Moslem
students to hold a demonstration at the Islamic Center was foiled
by security personnel. The security also detained two student
leaders for questioning.

Separately, former finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad urged the
students to maintain their idealism and their stamina, while
helping the authorities keep peace and order.

He also expressed his support and sympathy for students who
have been holding demonstrations in demand for reform since
February.

"I am confident the students were not involved in destructive
actions that had been committed by groups of people in various
parts in Indonesia," Mar'ie was quoted by Antara as saying.
(43/23/swa/44/swe/26/nur/har)