Jakarta – Indonesian police forced hundreds of anti-government and anti-military protesters away from a state-run radio station on Tuesday. At least five students were seriously injured, witnesses said.
Witnesses said about 500 students in the West Java capital of Bandung were blocked in front of the RRI station after marching to protest the ruling Golkar party and the military. Bandung is 110 miles southeast of the capital, Jakarta.
"Golkar has to be disbanded and ABRI [the military] should stay out of socio-political affairs of state," said a student who identified himself only as Bambang.
In Jakarta, hundreds of other students protested outside the Parliament on Tuesday, urging Indonesians to boycott the June 7 general election, which they claim will not be fair or democratic.
About 800 university and high school students gathered in two groups near the legislature. They were blocked by several hundred troops.
There were no reports of violence. However, a major road outside the Parliament was closed, causing a downtown traffic jam. Tuesday's protest was the biggest in Jakarta for many weeks.
Demonstrations by tens of thousands of students in May last year led to the resignation of authoritarian President Suharto, who had ruled the world's fourth-most populous nation for 32 years.
Suharto's successor, President B.J. Habibie, has called the June election and promises it will be the freest ballot held since 1955.
Forty-eight political parties are to contest the election, compared with only three officially sanctioned parties permitted during Suharto's era.
Students are still unhappy about the scope and pace of political change, however. They have demanded that Habibie resign and a transitional government be put in place to enact sweeping political reforms.
"We reject the election because it is only a way to maintain the status quo," said Samin, a protest organizer. "We also demand Habibie step down because he has proved to be incapable." One banner unfurled at Tuesday's protest said: "Reject Election, Reject Habibie."
In a related development, an imprisoned political activist remained in a Jakarta hospital on Tuesday, continuing a hunger strike to protest the election.
Budiman Sudjatmiko, general chairman of the People's Democratic Party, and six other officials of the party launched the hunger strike seven days ago. Budiman was hospitalized on Monday.