Muhammad Nur Abdurrahman, Makassar – The commemoration of Youth Pledge day on Friday October 28 at the Muhammadiyah University (Unismuh) campus in Makassar, South Sulawesi, has ended in a clash between students and police.
During the clash, students set fire to as many as six police motorcycles and threw a seventh into a water drain.
The clash began when a joint team from the Makassar municipal district police (Polrestabes) and the South Sulawesi district police (polda) attempted to disband the Unismuh student rally which was creating traffic congestion on roads leading from Makassar to Gowa.
When police tried to disburse the students, both sides began throwing stones until a "stone war" broke out between students and police on Jl. Sultan Alauddin. Despite the heavy rain, the student's determination to attack the police was not diminished.
Students, who had approached parked motorcycles belonging to police and were left behind when the students succeeded in forcing the police back, then carried the motorcycles on to the middle of the road and set fire to them.
The clash resulted in the temporary closure of Jl. Sultan Alauddin and a lengthy traffic jam in the vicinity affecting traffic to and from Sungguminasa. Congestion also occurred on the alternative Malengkeri-Daeng Tata route and surrounding areas.
The current situation in the Jl. Sultan Alauddin area has now begun to improve with the students involved in the clash returning to their campus.
In addition to the Unismuh campus, commemorations of Youth Pledge Day were also held at the Makassar State University on Jl. AP Pettarani and in front of the Makassar Regional House of Representatives (DPRD).
The students also hijacked a container truck which was then used as a stage to give speeches. (mna/try)
Notes
On October 28, 1928, Indonesian students and youth gathered in Jakarta to declare the Youth Pledge – generally accepted as the first open declaration of Indonesian independence – which called for a united independent Indonesia under the theme of "One Nation, One People, One Language".
[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the article was "Demo Sumpah Pemuda di Makassar Berujung Bentrok, 6 Motor Polisi Dibakar".]