---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, OCTOBER 25, 1999 SEPARATION: SE SULAWESI DISAGREE WITH EAST INDONESIAN STATE Kendari, SE Sulawesi, Oct. 25 (ANTARA)-The speaker of the Southeast Sulawesi provincial legislative body, Hino Biohanis, said he did not agree with the formation of a so called independent East Indonesian state (ITM), recently declared by South Sulawesi students. "If the Makassar university students wants independence, it is their own business. But, don't include other provices in East Indonesia, especially Southeast Sulawesi," he told ANTARA here Monday. He said the people and provincial government officials of Southeast Sulawesi reject the notion of the province to be included as one of the backers of the ITM, because its proposed foundation tends to be based on the emotion and ambition of certain people. Southeast Sulawesi, he said, remains an integral part of Indonesia, and it is never willing to separate from the republic, he added. The issue of ITM emerged in the headlines of Indonesia's mass media, following the resignation of former president BJ Habibie prior to the October 20 presidential race after his accountability speech was rejected by the majority of members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) during its plenary session. The movement of the people and students of South Sulawesi province, also backed up by local legislators and the major of Makassar, has sparked a pro-and-con debate among the Indonesian people. A University of Indonesia (UI) law expert, Dr. Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, was quoted by Kompas daily on Monday as saying that the movement could be categorised as a criminal act against the state's security, as depicted by Article 106 of Indonesia's Criminal Code. But a different opinion was aired by a Surabaya law expert, Trimoelja D. Soejadi, who says that the South Sulawesi people and students' movement is not yet a coup nor a separatist movement. "If the action is an organised movement with an obsious leader and so foth, the central government can take legal avtion against them," he was quoted as saying. (T.KDR-001/NN-03/12:47/INT-TA/nn02/TB02) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 1 Nov 1999 jam 02:05:35 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
