By letter dated 26 April 1996, the Special Rapporteur, in a joint initiative with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, conveyed information to the Government concerning a confrontation between university students protesting a rise in transport fares and military personnel which had reportedly broken out in Ujung Pandang, Sulawesi, on 22 April 1996. On 24 April 1996, 212 students and members of the security forces were reportedly wounded, after the military entered 4 university campuses to quell the protests. In the course of the operations, some soldiers, after initially firing warning shots, allegedly fired directly at demonstrators, as a result of which some students received bullet wounds. At least three students, Andi Sultan, Syaiful and Adnan, died, allegedly after being subjected to severe beatings. A number of students were reportedly taken into custody, up to eight of whom were said to remain detained at the District Military Command in Ujung Pandang (26 April 1996).

By letter dated 10 May 1996, the Government replied that the demonstrations on 22 and 23 April 1996 held by university students against the hike in public transportation fares was peaceful and turned violent only on 24 April, when a number of students continued the demonstration and clashed with the Association of Public Transportation Drivers, who also held a demonstration aimed at demanding higher fares. The confrontation resulted in a number of injuries, material destruction and attacks on innocent bystanders resulting in injuries, by uncontrolled and aggressive students. In the attempt to restore public order, the security officers used rubber, not live bullets, tear-gas, water canons and other standard instruments. In the ensuing chaos, many students fled or jumped into the Pampang River. Three students, whose correct names are Szaiful Bya, Andi Sultan Iskandar and Tasrif were found drowned in the Pampang River the next day. It was further noted that on 25 April, the students gathered to roam around the city of Ujung Pandang, causing material damage, and not for the purpose of exercising the right to freedom of opinion. An investigation team was appointed on 27 April by the VII Military District Command to examine the manner in which security officers had dealt with the student demonstrators. The National Commission on Human Rights too sent an investigation team to Ujung Pandang and stated to the press in its preliminary conclusion that it regretted the incident and that there were leads pointing to possible irresponsible conduct by the security officers. The investigation team of the VII Military District Command concluded that a number of security officers were suspected of having acted irresponsibly. Twelve officers, including three senior officers and nine privates, were arrested and will face military court in May 1996. In this connection, the Chief of Staff for Political Affairs of the Armed Forces had publicly stated that the incident was indeed regrettable and should never have happened. Finally, it was noted that since the incident, peaceful demonstrations to show solidarity with the students of Ujung Pandang have taken place in many universities in Indonesia. These have neither been banned, interfered with nor repressed by the Government in any way.

The Special Rapporteur thanks the Government of Indonesia for the reply provided and the willingness shown to cooperate with the mandate. He would appreciate being informed of the motivation for any action taken against the security officers suspected of having acted irresponsibly.