U.S. deplores arrests of students

JAKARTA (JP): The United States deplores the arrest of 41 students who held a hunger strike at the compound of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) last week to protest the government's clamp down on the media.

"The United States deplores the arrests made on July 7 at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation. Their detention while on the Legal Aid Foundation's private grounds makes the actions of the Indonesian authorities even more objectionable," the U.S. embassy said in a statement, a copy of which was made available to The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Forty one students grouped in the Students' Solidarity for Democracy in Indonesia (SMID) were arrested by the police when staging the strike to protest the closure of Tempo, DeTIK and Editor magazines.

Among the detainees were Agus Jabo and Nando, who were among those who helped to organize the strike.

The students were accused of taking part in a "boisterous gathering" and fined Rp 2,000 each by the Central Jakarta District Court. The students rejected the sentence and are appealing.

The arrests were strongly criticized by the foundation which described the government's actions as the greatest atrocity thus far.

Earlier on June 27, security forces forcibly dispersed a peaceful demonstration against the ban at the Monas Park, just across the Information Ministry, arresting more than 30 protesters. A number of protesters were injured in a brief scuffle with the security forces. Those detained were fined Rp 2,000 each by the court.

In a meeting with legislators from the Armed Forces (ABRI) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) factions at the House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday, the students pledged that the crackdown on protests will not stop them from speaking out.

The U.S. embassy said that Washington continued to express their concern to the Indonesian government over the arrests of peaceful demonstrators and restrictions on freedom of press.

"We have encouraged the Indonesian government to lift the ban on the three publications at the earliest possible date," the statement said.

"The United States strongly supports freedom of the press throughout the world and regrets instances, such as have occurred recently in Indonesia, of such freedom being restricted," it said. (par)