Budi Sugiharto, Surabaya – Around 200 Surabaya students from a number of tendencies demonstrated in the center of Surabaya on Friday, July 2. Before the demonstration they held a "long march" from the University of Airlingga (Unair). They moved off after Friday prayers at around 1pm. From Unair the students marched toward the Radio Republic Indonesia (RRI) building to demand that their statement be read [out on the radio] and after making a deal it was promised that their demands would be read on the Surabaya RRI radio program, Info Prima – which broadcast them at 4pm. The demonstration, which continued until 3pm, included students from the Catholic Students Organisation, the People's Democratic Party, the Independent Election Monitoring Group, the Legal Aid Institute, the Independent Journalists Association, Sanggar Suroboyo and others.

From the RRI building they marched to the Jalan Pemuda intersection and claimed traffic signs to hang banners, one of which read: "The Bloody Indonesian Police Anniversary!". Other banners were also hung up, around 15 different kinds. The main theme was protesting the violence carried out by security forces at the General Election Commission (KPU) on July 1.

After hanging up the banners they finished with another protest. The traffic was blocked because there were so many students. The main things they voiced was condemning the actions of security forces in the Bloody KPU Incident, that the perpetrators of the violence be brought to justice and the abolition of the dual role of the armed forces.

As well as reading statements and giving a number of speeches, they also sang that the "people united cannot be defeated" and there were shouts of "revolution". A Free East Timor flag also appeared.

There was no clashes at all during the action even though the students shouted: "police [the original term was aparat, usually translated as security forces or troops - JB], where are your weapons, shoot me in the chest". But the shouts did not provoke the police as there were only around ten officers there and they were [only] traffic police who were [trying to] sort out the traffic jam.

[Translated by James Balowski, ASIET Publications and Information Officer.]