Violence mars protests over fuel price hike

Violence mars protests over fuel price hike

JAKARTA (JP): Violence marred protests here on Monday when
scores of people were wounded by police who fired tear gas and
rubber bullets to disperse a student rally protesting the 30
percent increase in fuel prices.

Angered by continuous jeering, police fired rubber bullets and
tear gas at student protesters outside the State Institute of
Islamic Studies (IAIN) campus in Ciputat, Tangerang.

At least two students sustained gunshot wounds according to
police. Ten other people, including IAIN students, suffered minor
wounds when rocks were being thrown prior to the shooting.

Meanwhile, students claimed that eight people, were shot
during the rally. Most of them were IAIN students.

"The National Police chief (Gen. Surojo Bimantoro) must take
responsibility for these shootings," an IAIN student demanded.

The students identified those who sustained gunshot and other
minor wounds as Lutfi, Khaidir, A. Supriyanto, Mustamiin, Willa,
Syamsul, Ojay and Ryan, who they said was shot in his back.

The already tense atmosphere erupted into chaos in Ciputat at
about 3:45 p.m. on Monday, when IAIN students, having burned
tires and completely blocked Jl. H. Juanda, started jeering at
police officers.

In response to the taunts, police officers lost control and
chased the students, who took refuge in a nearby mosque.

Police followed the students into the mosque, causing them to
scatter. The incident was then followed by rock-throwing which
prompted the police to use tear gas and then rubber bullets.

The situation had returned to normal by 5 p.m. when police
officers finally cleared Jl. H. Juanda in front of the IAIN
campus.

Clashes between police and students also became tense at the
University of Indonesia (UI) in Salemba, Central Jakarta, and the
Indonesian Christian University (UKI) in East Jakarta, the latter
causing an extremely heavy traffic congestion in the Cawang area.

During their protest, UI students burned tires on Jl.
Diponegoro near their campus in Salemba, causing a traffic jam
along Jl. Diponegoro.

"We just have a single demand, lower the fuel prices right
now," a student repeatedly shouted through a microphone.

About 200 police officers, deployed to control the protests in
Salemba, managed to drive the students back into their campus.

With their demonstration thwarted, students then turned
against the police, pointing and jeering at them. The officers,
however, were not provoked.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said on
Monday that the police had arrested at least 32 people during
Monday's protests and public transportation strike in the
capital.

Those arrested included students and angkot public
transportation drivers. Nobody has been charged yet, Anton said.

Meanwhile, three of 12 people arrested during Saturday's
strike in Ciputat have been officially charged. All three are
members of the City Forum (Forkot), Anton noted.

Meanwhile, thousands of people were left stranded as public
buses and minivans normally plying several routes to and from the
Kampung Melayu bus terminal in East Jakarta began to leave the
streets at 7 a.m. on Monday.

Terminal chief Abdul Rauf said that public vehicle drivers had
returned to their respective pools in protest of the fuel price
hike.

"The strike has totally paralyzed seven routes, namely routes
to and from Bekasi, Pondok Kelapa, Perumnas Klender, Pondok Kopi,
Cakung and Lampiri," he told The Jakarta Post.

He added that operators of buses and minivans serving the
Keranji-Klender and Rawamangun-Klender routes had also joined the
strike. The Mayasari buses which serve the Pulogadung and Mangga
Dua routes also stopped operating at 9 a.m.

In Central Jakarta, public vehicles servicing the Tanah Abang-
Kebon Jeruk, Tanah Abang-Kebayoran Lama, Tanah Abang-Kota and
Senen-Kota routes had stopped by 1:30 p.m.

Following the strike, representatives of the city's
Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) met with
Governor Sutiyoso to convey their proposal to increase angkot
fares by 15 percent, an additional Rp 100 to Rp 300 on the
current fares.

The city administration and city council approved the increase
but said that the exact amount would need further consideration.

Strikes also hit Depok and Bogor where thousands of people
were left stranded when public transport drivers began their
strike at 8 a.m. on Monday.

The police deployed a number of trucks to transport people
between Citeureup and Pasar Anyar and between Bojonggede and
Pasar Anyar in Bogor.

Following the massive shutdown, the Bogor administration
agreed to increase public transportation fares by 30 percent to
Rp 800 per trip for the general public and Rp 500 for students.

"The fare increase to Rp 800 is just too high for us, it is
far exceeding the increase of fuel prices," said Yati, 35, a
resident of Ciomas, Bogor. (ylt/01/21)