Jakarta – Hundreds of students are threatening to launch a sweeping operation against Chinese-Indonesians in Makassar, South Sulawesi, within 48 hours if the police fail to investigate the death of a maid after she was allegedly tortured by her Chinese-Indonesian employer.
Some 1,000 students, who claimed to represent an alliance of native Indonesians, raised their demands with the Makassar Police on Wednesday, under the watchful eye of hundreds of police personnel.
The students caused massive traffic congestion in the city and forced some stores, which had earlier reopened after closing Tuesday due to growing protests, to close their premises.
The protest was triggered by Saturday's death of domestic helper Hasniati, 20, after she was allegedly tortured by her Chinese-Indonesian employer Wandi Tandiawan.
The students' spokesperson, Maulana, urged the police to thoroughly investigate the case, impose a heavy penalty on Wandi Tandiawan and reject the presence of Chinese-Indonesians in the city.
The students said that if the police failed to enforce the law within the next 48 hours, they would conduct a sweeping operation against Chinese-Indonesians.
Despite the threats, security remained under control, although several students pelted stones at stores, forcing some stores to put up signs that the store "belongs to native Indonesians" or "belongs to native Muslims".
They also forced Chinese-Indonesians they stopped outside the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) in Makassar to give a speech on Hasniati's death. "I have no idea about the dead victim. I'm a Makassar-born Indonesian citizen," A Liong, a Chinese-Indonesian, told Antara.
Apart from the students, dozens of other protesters, including students and residents from Hasniati's native village of Sinjai, also arrived at the police station to get a close look at the suspect.
The protesters expressed distrust for the police who claimed the suspect was suffering from a mental disorder, the same excuse used during a 1997 abuse case against another housemaid by her Chinese-Indonesian employer which had also triggered unrest in the city.
"This time, it's the same. The suspect, Wandi Tandiawan, who tortured Hasniati until her death and (injured) her friend Nurbaya, is said to be suffering from a mental disorder. So we want to get a close look to see whether or not he is really insane," a protester, who was not named, was quoted by Antara as saying.
Deputy chief of Makassar Police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Susanto, met the protesters, saying the police have examined the suspect and would process the case transparently. "The students are permitted to monitor the investigation conducted by the police," Budi told Antara.
Earlier, Makassar Police Chief Sr. Comr. Kurniawan said the suspect was scheduled to undergo psychological tests Wednesday.
Several community leaders, including those from South Sulawesi's Indonesian Ulema Council, the Communication Forum for National Unity and the police, met Wednesday with the families of Hasniati and Nurbaya.
In the meeting, the participants condemned Wandi's actions and demanded that the police thoroughly investigate the case while at the same time, maintaining security and order in the city.