APSN Banner

Tens of students and guards injured

Source
Kompas - April 4, 1998

Yogyakarta – Violence occurred again at the demonstration in the Gajah Mada University (UGM)'s Campus and the IKIP (Teacher's Training College) in Yogyakarta, Friday (3/4). At least 14 students were injured and between 10 and 20 persons are treated in the hospital, 14 others are missing, six are arrested, and at least 25 motorbikes from students and spectators were damaged by the assault which was harsher compared with the affair of a day before. A number of glasses at the UGM Campus were also reported broken. them seriously wounded - hit by stones. The Head of the Detectives Directorate of the Yogyakarta Special Region Police Lieutenant Colonel (Pol) Erwin Tobing who was in civilian dress was also hit by stones and beaten by fellow guards.

The action which started 09.00 ended at 15.00, after the IIIrd Rector Assistant Ir Bambang Kartika met the Police Chief of Yogyakarta Colonel (Pol) Bani Siswono and the Commander of Military Resort 072/Pamungkas Colonel (Inf) Djoko Santoso. Bambang Kartika then climbed on an armored car to disperse the students who were still continuing the demonstration after the riot while the police chief and military commander withdrew their troops.

At the emergency meeting in front of the Panti Rapih hospital in Yogyakarta Bambang Kartika much regretted the incident which caused wounded students. While the police chief said that actually the whole security apparature already restrained themselves to give no reaction. "The reporters could see for themselves in the field. We restrained ourselves long enough eventhough thrown with stones. Six of our members were even wounded, among others a broken nose and open cheecks, hit by stones. We regret this condition. We know the demands of the students, but please have it controlled. You see for yourselves that firecrackers as big as a head were exploded by the students, if it hit persons they would certainly be injured," said Bani Siswono, sided by Lieutenant Col (Pol) Erwin Tobing.

Negotiation failed

The demonstration occurred first separately in two campusses, the UGM and State's IKIP Yogyakarta starting 09.00, then it fused since 11.50 after violence first started at IKIP Yogyakarta. The IKIP Yogyakarta caused that Munadi, the Chairman of the Students Senate was arrested and seriously wounded with stitches on his head and ear while between 10 and 20 colleagues were beaten by the guards who entered and chased the students in the IKIP campus which is about one km east from the UGM.

The Friday afternoon incident which was very regretted and criticized by the students was a continuation of the incident on Thursday (2/3) at the UGM and the IAIN Sunan Kalidjaga Yogyakarta. The incident of Friday yesterday occurred because there was no consensus between the apparature and thousands of students in Yogyakarta who wanted to hold a long march to the Northern side of the Town Square in Yogyakarta to meet with Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X who happened to be abroad.

The demonstration which was arranged by the Yogyakarta Moslem Students League (LMMY) was attended by thousands of students from various universities, a number of schoolchildren and between 10 to 20 youngsters who walked from the UGM Economic Faculty to the Faculties of Philosophy, Law, Agricultural Technology, Forestry, the audience hall, and to the boulevard or the UGM traffic circle.

First the mass of students walked freely to Jalan Kolombo in front of the Mirota Campus Supermarket west of the UGM. But hundreds were hindered by the close rows of guards. Finally they went back and fused at the UGM boulevard.

About 11.30 when both parties started to withdraw and the armoured cars were withdrawn, between 10 and 20 students appeared who threw stones to the guards and two explosions were heard from firecrackers in the midst of the arena. The attack with stones increased till the armoured cars penetrated, followed by the security guards who chased the demonstrators. Lieutenant Colonel (Pol) Erwin Tobing noted that due to the intifada five members were wounded and Chief Sergeant (Pol) Suharno and 1st Sergeant (Pol) Samiyono were treated at Panti Rapih Yogyakarta Hospital. He noted that six demonstrators were treated at the same place.

While the students noted that 12 students of the UGM action were injured and a part was treated at the Sardjito Hospital, six were besides the 12 treated at Panti Rapih Hospital, one employee of the Student Cooperative of the UGM and more than ten others at the IKIP Yogyakarta action. Many students were seriously wounded, like broken bones, head injuries and being unconscious.

In other campusses

At the Udayana University Campus in Denpasar about 3,000 students burned three helms, a rattan stick and a fiberglass shield from the security forces for their unsympathetic conduct.

In Jakarta about 1,000 students from Universitas Indonesia (UI) held a free speech forum at the UI Salemba campus where the former rector Prof Dr Tadjuddin and the legislative expert Prof Dr Harun Al-Rashid attended and gave an oration. Some representatives from other universities enlivened the action, among others from IKIP Jakarta, IAIN Jakarta, Unair Surabaya and UGM Yogyakarta.

In said action the students declined the solution offered by the govt as it was only symbolic and inclined to avoid the essence of the real problem. About 2,000 students from the Universitas Andalas (Unand) Padang held a demonstration at the Unand Campus, 25 km north of the centre of Padang. In Ujungpandang about 500 students from the Moslem Students Association (HMI) of the Ujungpandang Branch gathered at the Karebosi field in Ujungpandang to hold a free speech forum called Big Rollcoll. They then made a long march to the HMI Secretariat. At Universitas Syiah Kuala Banda Aceh and Universitas Brawijaya Malang there were also demonstrations attended by hundreds of students.

Country