Yulie Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Bandung Police detained on Monday seven student protesters for allegedly violating measures taken by police to secure President Megawati Soekarnoputri's official visit to Bandung on Monday.
The detained students were part of 500 demonstrators grouped in several Muslim student groups, including the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI), the Bandung-based Indonesian Youth Front (FIM-B), Indonesian Nationalist Student Movement (GMNI) and the Islamic Students Association (HMI).
The students protested against Megawati's "noncritical" stance toward significant issues, including the Israel-Palestine conflict. They demanded that she take a firmer stance on Israel's butchery of Palestinians and send peacekeeping troops to the Middle East.
Bandung Police chief Sr. Comr. Hendra Sukmana said that the seven students, including those from the University of Indonesian Education (UPI), Padjajaran University and the State Academy of Islamic Studies (IAIN), had been detained for protesting within "the Ring I security area" in Bandung. "They will only be detained for the night as a warning," Hendra told reporters on Monday.
The seven were identified as Budi Yusaminudin, Anwar Sugiyana, Fatah Fahmi Fikri and Heru Srikabiyanto of UPI; Syarif Pirous of Telkom technical school; Izma M Supriyadi of Padjajaran University and Abdul Fatah Syamsidi of Sunan Gunung Djati State Academy for Islamic Studies (IAIN).
The demonstrators had also demanded that the government allocate a larger budget for the national educational system, disband the former ruling Golkar Party, and put on trial human rights violators, including high-ranking Indonesian Military (TNI) officials.
A brief clash ensued between security personnel and the demonstrators. The police hit the students with their batons, but nobody was reported seriously injured or hurt in the clash.
During Monday's visit, Megawati inaugurated a new building for the School of Mathematics and Physics at the UPI campus on Jl. Setiabudi. Among the guests at the inauguration, built with a grant worth 3.4 billion yen from the Japanese government, were Japanese Embassy Charge d'Affaires Hideaki Domichi, and UPI rector Fakry Gaffar.
In her speech, Megawati said that Indonesia's problems involving the management of infrastructure included poor planning, poor concern for ethics, rampant corruption and the continuous misuse of funds. "We always insist that other people comply with the law, but we ourselves are reluctant to do it," Megawati said.
During her visit, Megawati was accompanied by her husband Taufik Kiemas and Minister of National Education Malik Fadjar.