Gunawan Mashar – Makassar: Around 30 Papuan [Irian Jaya] students in Makassar went to the South Sulawesi Provincial DPR [House of Representatives] in Jl Urip Sumohardjo, Makassar on Wednesday (20 April). They arrived to protest about the transfer of nine prisoners from Papua to Makassar jail.

The students considered that the transfer had not complied with procedure for transfers and felt that it had not heeded the basic rights of the prisoners.

The students went to the South Sulawesi Provincial DPR (DPRD) to demand that Commission A of the South Sulawesi (DPRD) keep their promise to discuss the issue of the transfer.

The nine prisoners were in custody at the Wamena jail, Papua, on two different charges. Six of them had been involved in a theft from the 1702/JWJ Military District Command armoury and three were involved in raising the OPM [Free Papua Movement] flag at the Jayawijaya DPRD in 2003.

The nine prisoners were moved to the Gunung Sari jail, Makassar on 16 December 2004. "They were moved without using the legal procedure. In fact when they were moved their families were not informed, and the prisoners also did not know if they were going to be moved on that day," said Buhtar.

In fact when they were picked up by the vehicle to be transferred, the prisoners, according to Buhtar, initially refused to be moved because they had not been informed first. "Because the prisoners refused to go they were beaten until they bled and were forced to get into the Jayawijaya Police vehicle and were taken to Wamena airport," said Buhtar.

The students finally dispersed at around 1300 local time [0600 gmt]. The students planned to return to continue their protest if the South Sulawesi DPRD did not pay heed to their demands.

[BBC Worldwide Monitoring Asia Pacific.]