Jakarta – The bloody tragedy at the Semanggi bridge apparently has sparked even more extensive action than the previous days. On Saturday (14/11) action took place in 16 cities, namely Medan, Bandung, Bogor, Surabaya, Yogya, Samarinda, Jember, Pontianak, Ambon, Ujungpandang, Solo, Purwokerto, Bandjarmasin, Denpasar, Semarang and Padang. Generally these actions condemned the bloody incident, asked for the resignation of armed forces commander General Wiranto and accountability of regional representatives in the People's Consultative Assembly.
Those student actions appeared to be uniform. Besides targeting locations such as the Regional Parliaments, the majority also came to the headquarters of the highest local military establishments in their respective towns, to lower the flags to half-mast. In Medan, Denpasar and Pontianak, they used the airports as locations to draw attention to their demands.
Apart from some damage and three persons sustaining injuries – two students and a policeman – at the Polonia airport in Medan, generally the actions did not cause riots, looting or damage at all.
Action by 10,000 Medan students joined in the North Sumatra Student Reformation Action Forum, started at the Regional Parliament building and moved to the Polonia airport by motorbike, bus, truck and on foot. After being stopped for an hour by security troops, altercation and stone-throwing, the crowd was able to enter the airport, and gathered in the middle of the airfield at 13.55 hours. Part of the crowd ascended the stairs of parked aircraft, and some even climbed on top of the fuselages. All flights were cancelled. The students made speeches, prayed and sang to commemorate the students who had died in Jakarta.
The situation at the airport gradually came under control around 17.30 hours after the students went back to campus. As a result of the action, a number of airport lights were broken, the ground handling aerial was wrecked, aircraft engines were tampered with, and food-and-drink stalls in the building damaged.
In Denpasar a sit-down action by some 300 students lasted two hours, drawing attention from thousands of foreign tourists. Airport activities were not interfered with and flight schedules were normal.
In Pontianak, hundreds of students unfurled banners and posters in the VIP room in an action lasting from 10.00 to 11.45 hours. The intention was also to meet the regional Assembly members expected to return that day. They did not and the students were persuaded to return to campus.
A crowd of 20,000 students went into action at two locations in Bandung. Part demonstrated at the West Java regional parliament building, another part tried to enter the Siliwangi military headquarters, without success, and then paraded around town.
In Yogya thousands of students from various higher education institutes and youths paraded around town, stopping opposite the Pamungkas military resort headquarters to convey their demands through the government radio station.
Thousands of students also demonstrated in Padang, Semarang, Purwokerto and Solo. In Padang the students walked towards the Yudha Sakti battalion headquarters and the Wira Braja military resort headquarters, where they failed to take down the flag. They also broke all the windows of the West Sumatra branch office of the Functional Group.
In Semarang the crowd gathered on the Pancasila field. After praying they pulled out banners of the Functional Group and those inscribed with "Armed Forces". At the Governor's office they spread flowers and lowered the flag to half-mast.
A crowd of demonstrators in Solo expressed protest by burning a camouflage jacket. In Purwokerto students walked from the Universitas Soedirman campus to the square and the military district headquarters. The action of concern lasted from 09.00 hours until the afternoon.
Thousands of students of the Bogor Agricultural Institute and Universitas Pakuan took to the streets to show their dissatisfaction with the results of the Assembly Special Session, and in condolence at the death of their fellow-students in Jakarta. In Surabaya students of various campuses went to the Grahadi Building in convoy escorted by marines and police. On the way they pulled down the flag at all government offices. Actions also took place in Samarinda, Banjarmasin and Jember. Likewise in Ambon.
In Ujungpandang students forced the pickets at the Wirabuana military headquarters to lower the flag to half-mast. Reportedly the Hasanuddin airport which was paralyzed for five hours on Friday, has been restored to normal. The "7 November Declaration" Forum of Heads of Universities has declared 7-14 November as days of mourning on campus.