Jakarta – Thousands of students organized in the Student's Senate Communication Forum of whole Jakarta (FKSMJ) and Universitas Trisakti students (Usakti) succeeded to "occupy" the Attorney General's Office at No. 1 Jl Sultan Hasanuddin, S Jakarta, Tuesday (24/11) since 12.15 WIT.

Till the sending of this article hundreds of students were still determined to spend the night at the Attorney General's Office. While outside the building it is very heavily guarded. Twelve trucks of Marines and Anti Riot Troops of the Jakarta Regional Military Command are on the scene.

The same day thousands of other students again took to the streets. Besides demanding the immediate trial of Soeharto, the students also demanded President Habibie's justification as the highest Armed Forces Commander and the Defense/Security Minister/Armed Forces Commander General Wiranto on the Semanggi Tragedy. Those action units moved individually causing noise and knots in the traffic of the main roads of the Capital.

Before the "occupation" at the Attorney General's Office, the students held a demonstration and oration in front of the main gate. They demanded that the Attorney General Andi Muhammad Ghalib clearly and courageously tried Soeharto in the shortest time. The students wanted that Ghalib didn't stall for time anymore with various empty statements. They were determined to continue with occupying the Attorney General's Office till the Attorney General would take the decision to prosecute and bring Soeharto to court. After an oration of almost two hours, their demand to meet the Attorney General was finally fulfilled.

Entering from behind

While the FKSMJ held an oration at the main gate of the Attorney General's Office, at least eight busses full with Usakti students went the road of Jl Sultan Hasanuddin towards the terminal at Block M. After turning in front of the Block M shopping place and entering Jl Bulungan, the busses emptied their passengers at the unguarded back gate of the Attorney General's Office Complex. Easily and calmly they walked without hindrance, entering the back yard of the Attorney General's Office and directly went to the bridge where the office car of the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General were usually parked.

Seeing this, the PKSMJ mass holding the oration asked to be allowed to join their colleagues inside. After debating with the Head of the Central Intelligence Operation of the Attorney General's Office Sudibyo Saleh, the front gate of the Attorney General's Office which was never opened, was opened. The FKSMJ mass gradually joined the Usakti students. Around one hour later almost the whole lawn of the Attorney General's Office complex was filled with students.

A Parcel of a chicken

About 13.50 the students held an oration demanding to meet with the Attorney General, which was complied. At the small meeting room of the Deputy Attorney General, around 20 representatives of the students met with Ghalib. He was among others sided by the Deputy Attorney General Ismudjoko, the Junior Attorney General (JAM) for Special Crimes Anton Sujata, the JAM for Intelligence Syamsu Djalaluddin and the JAM for Supervision Jakob Saleh.

The FKSMJ spokesmen Yervis and Dandy and the Secretary General of the Presidium of Usakti Students Gunawan directly read their demands on behalf of the students in front of the Attorney General.

"The FKSMJ clearly asked the Attorney General to prosecute as soon as possible former President Soeharto on suspicion of political, legal and economic crimes and to investigate his wealth ultimately one month after receipt of this statement. Besides that the FKSMJ also demanded the legal justification of President BJ Habibie and the Defense/Security Minister/ABRI Commander General Wiranto on the 12 May 1998 and 13 November 1998 at the Universities of Trisakti and Atma Jaya," he said.

Answering the students demands, Ghalib described his program in erasing corruption, collusion and nepotism practices since he was appointed on 17 June 1998. He clarified that he was ready to erase corruption.

Commenting on that the student representatives from FKSMJ and Usakti were not satisfied. "We evaluate that the Attorney General does not dare to try Soeharto. this is evident from his unclear and complicated statement, trying to obscure the problem. That is it, thank you," said a student.

Before parting with the Attorney General, a female student of the Faculty of Law of Usakti handed a parcel of a chicken to the Attorney General who directly received it.

Other demonstrations

At the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle around 500 yellow jacket students organized in the Student Action Unit (KAM) of UI held a march to the state palace. But their intention was obstructed by hundreds of the apparatus when they neared the National Monument (Monas). They finally sent five persons as student representatives to the State Secretariat and to the Office of the Department of Defense and Security to state their wish to have a dialogue with the President and the Defense/Security Minister/ABRI Commander.

The action started relaxed. The apparatus only set a police line without barricade of troops. They waited while sitting under the trees around Monas. But the students then held an oration from above the busses.

The KAM UI students demanded that the govt completely investigated the incidents of Trisakti, Semanggi and the disappearance of activists. They also demanded the justification of the ABRI leadership on those affairs. They also rejected ABRI's presence at the House, demanded withdrawal of ABRI's dual function and demanded honest and fair general elections exactly on time.

We also appeal to all components of the nation not to be provoked by efforts of playing against each others and cheap provocations smelling to ethnic, religious and racial problems by parties which want to divide the nation," thus the KAM UI.

Meanwhile a negotiating team of students attempted to coax the officials, hundreds of students continued to shift forward till they touched the police line. They were standing face to face with hundreds of the apparatus which was equipped with rattan sticks and shields. The tension lasted quite a long time. But suddenly the coordinator of students gave in and ordered the students to dissolve.

Pancoran

The movement of hundreds of students associated in the City Forum who initially wanted to move to the DPR/MPR building were also obstructed by the apparatus at the Cawang-Pancoran crossing. Because they were held up by the apparatus they caused a chaos in the traffic of said area. At the same time hundreds of students were standing face to face with Marines at the Pancoran crossing.

For three hours the City Forum students held an oration near the fly way of Pancoran. They still remained at their initial demand to form an Indonesian People's Committee (KRI) to perform the transitional govt, removal of ABRI's dual function and the trial of Soeharto. Around 21,00 the students dispersed and went to the campus of Sahid University's campus.