Jakarta – On the eve of the second anniversary of Suharto's downfall, more than 500 students protested in front of the ex- dictator's home Saturday, demanding he be brought to trial for alleged corruption during 32 years in power.
Students burned posters of the former strongman and chanted slogans, while hundreds of police stood guard, forming a barrier about 1,600 feet from Suharto's home.
In a move to pre-empt any violence on the anniversary, the attorney general investigating Suharto told a news conference Friday that Suharto would face trial by August 10.
However, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman also said that if Suharto's family failed to cooperate with his investigation, he would water down its security arrangements, seemingly giving student groups the green light to organize rowdy protests in front of Suharto's house.
Last week students clashed with police in demonstrations to mark the second anniversary of the slaying of four university students by police. At least one journalist was injured after police fired tear gas at the protesters. Several people were later arrested for setting fire to a local police station.
Suharto, 79, is the leading suspect in a scandal involving the misuse of millions of dollars from charitable foundations he once controlled. A violent pro-democracy movement forced him to resign on May 21, 1998, but he left behind a legacy of endemic corruption and nepotism.
On Saturday, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid defended his suggestion to lift the ban on communist ideology, which Suharto imposed in 1966 after he seized power. "I suggest we revoke the decree banning the teaching of communism," he said on television. "We have to respect human rights."
Wahid has previously called the ban undemocratic and unconstitutional. He has been criticized by Muslim groups opposed to communism's atheist principles.
Up to 500,000 leftists were slaughtered by troops under Suharto's command in the aftermath of a still- unexplained military mutiny. Suharto claimed it was instigated by the Indonesian Communist Party. The party was banned, although no direct link with the abortive coup was ever proven.