[The following is an eyewitness report by Jill Hickson and Sam King, two ASIET members who are currently in Jakarta and were at the demonstration.]
A rally by the People's Democratic Party (PRD) that mobilised 2000 people in Jakarta was attacked by police and military. The protesters were beaten and shot, injuring more than 100, two are in critical condition.
The peaceful street rally was joined by many urban poor as it weaved through Jakarta, stopping at the University of Indonesia and the PDI office, before marching to the KPU electoral commission office. At the KPU the PRD called for the disqualification of GOLKAR (Indonesia's ruling party) for election rigging including ballot tampering, money politics and intimidation. They also demanded the repeal of the dual function of the military in social and political life, that allows the armed forces to continue its domination of Indonesian politics.
At the KPU the demonstration came face to face with 50 police (a section armoured) bearing rifles, hand guns, bamboo sticks and tear gas. The rally continued outside for more than an hour with speeches from Andy Arief, Faisal Reza, Hendri Kuok and other PRD leaders.
Negotiations by PRD KPU member Hendri Kuok to allow the rally entrance to the building and make their demands proved fruitless with KPU officials only offering 50 people entrance. The leadership put this proposal to the rally and it was unanimously rejected. The rally refused to be separated and decided to enter the KPU to stage a sit-in, saying the existence of the KPU itself is the result of the struggle of the Indonesian people for democracy, therefore they should have the right to enter.
When the rally as a whole moved to enter the building, the police immediately opened fire upon the crowd using plastic bullets at point blank range; troops severely bashed with sticks and boot anybody they could get near. The protesters ran as soon as the shooting started with a minority returning and fighting back intermittently for a short time with stones and glass bottles. Police were then successful in forcing the protesters down the street by firing indiscriminately at those who remained.
Hundreds of Brimob and Mobile military personnel loaded onto the street from eight trucks parked in the side streets blocking protesters escape.
Protesters were routinely bashed after being captured and indiscriminately attacked while running away. One PRD member, Dhyta Caturani standing in the front line was immediately pulled behind the police line, there she was shot in the back and brutally beaten while lying on the ground, sustaining severe injuries to the face and head from the boots of the police. She was soon hospitalised, as one of the 36 protesters who were admitted to 4 Jakarta hospitals. More than 100 sustained minor injuries from police sticks, rickesheing bullets or being beaten while trying to escape. Dhyta was operated on at 8pm and remains in a weak condition but is expected to survive. Another PRD member Carles Ratna Panji Setiawan remains in critical condition after being shot in the stomach. His spleen, damaged by the bullet was removed by operation hours after the violence. At least seven people had plastic bullets enter their bodies, the majority shot in the back as they ran.
One of the injured had a bullet pass completely through his body and experienced heavy bleeding from the mouth. As yet there have been no reports of fatalities although two PRD members who were among those injured were taken to a military hospital. Access to them has been denied and their condition is not known. Fifty people are reportedly in custody after being arrested and taken to a police station in south Jakarta. One of those injured badly in the head has developed amnesia. One hundred and sixty people are unaccounted for and their whereabouts is still unknown.