Precedence: bulk STUDENTS THREATEN TO USE VIOLENCE JAKARTA, (SiaR, 18/9/99). Seven groups within the student movement have spoken out against the use of violence by security apparatus in confronting demonstrations to reject the Emergency Draft Laws. The students also called for President Habibie to step down and for the revocation of the TNI's mandate as the national military. If TNI continues its repression, students will prepare counter-action with force. Thus the statement of seven groups of the student movement in a press conference at the Jakarta University, Thursday (16/9) in Jakarta. The seven groups are: City Forum (Forum Kota, or FORKOT), Student Action Front for Reform and Democracy (Front Aksi Mahasiswa untuk Reformasi dan Demokrasi, or Famred), Communication Forum of the Jakarta Student Senates (Forum Komunikasi Senat Mahasiswa Jakarta, or FKSMJ), Committee of Students and the People for Democracy (Komite Mahasiswa dan Rakyat untuk Demokrasi, or Komrad), The University of Indonesia Student Family (Keluarga Besar Mahasiswa Universitas Indonesia, KBUI), Student Forum for Economic Reform (Forum Reformasi Ekonomi Mahasiswa, FREM), United Action of Trisakti Students (Kesatuan Aksi Mahasiswa Trisakti, Kamtri). As evidence of their seriousness, the students called on all the people to join students in action throughout the Jabotabek [Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi] area on 17 September to demand: that President Habibie step down immediately because he has betrayed the nation; reject the Emergency Draft Laws which will kill democracy and are the beginning of a Military coup, and the immediate release of all pro-democracy elements detained by the TNI and the Police. "The political elite are trapped in dealing with the Bank Bali scandal, and do not care about the aspirations of the people. When the people reject the Emergency Draft Laws of the military, and when they are treated with violence, as in Pejompongan, the people's representatives don't care," said Arry Birong, a student spokesperson. In a statement titled "Looking Towards the Future," the students see that the spirit and demands of reform have not been recognised by the Habibie regime and the military. They are manouevering to use power as a means of appropriating the wealth of the state. According to Elly Salomo of Forkot, last Wednesday's beatings by riot squads and police of demonstrators rejecting the Draft Emergency Laws at Pejompongan and the shooting of the Team for Humanity's field co-ordinator in front of the UN office in Jakarta on the same day, show that the TNI have no intention of changing their basic paradigm relying on violence. "The state apparatus responsible for creating a sense of security are in fact using all their facilities to confront the people. For this reason, students threaten to revoke the mandate of the TNI, and are prepared to begin violent action to counteract military repression," the student stated. SiaR has received information that Police Lieutenant (first class) Makmur Simbolon issued orders to his troops to shoot Azas Tigor Nainggolan in front of the UN office building, Wednesday (15/9). A witness on the scene heard the command, "Shoot, shoot! I will take responsibility!" he shouted to his troops.*** ---------- SiaR WEBSITE: http://apchr.murdoch.edu.au/minihub/siarlist/maillist.html
