Vanguard of Demonstrators Instigate Violence in Indonesia
After a week of relative calm, violence has erupted once again in
Jakarta, as police and students clashed in several different
incidents. The demonstrations on December 16 and 17 were the
first major student actions since December 10. While much smaller
in scale than last week's demonstrations, they escalated quickly,
resulting in dozens of injured students and at least one student
killed. While confrontations between the students and the police
in Jakarta have been fairly common during the past few months,
there are aspects of these latest incidents that suggest a shift
in tactics and goals.
While both the size and frequency of anti-government protests in
the Indonesian capitol have been growing over the past two
months, the December 16 and 17 protests come after nearly a week
of relative quiet in the capital. Massive rallies were held on
December 10 in conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of the
UN Declaration on Human Rights, but they remained largely
peaceful. On December 15, two much smaller separate
demonstrations held by mostly female students did not result in
violence.
The December 16 and 17 demonstrations were different than many of
the preceding protests. These were not spontaneous groups of
students taking to the streets in support of reforms. Instead,
they appear to have been well-coordinated efforts, with a
definite agenda. The primary targets of the students were the
presidential palace and the parliament building. Although the
palace has been a common destination for demonstrators in the
past, the military has recently issued a warning to students to
steer clear of the building. In addition, it was widely known
that Indonesian President B.J. Habibie was not at the palace, as
he was in Vietnam attending the ASEAN summit. In itself, then,
the choice of targets seems to be inviting a military response.
Even more interesting than the choice of targets is that there
were three separate attempts by different groups of students to
enter the Palace on December 16. Though the details are not
completely clear, it seems that the first wave of approximately
150 students marched toward the presidential palace during the
morning of December 16. Police and soldiers responded to the
oncoming students by laying razor wire in the street, and
deploying four armored vehicles and six trucks full of guards in
riot gear. The second wave came as several hundred students
gathered around a National Monument in Monas Park, next to the
palace. Soldiers who have been camped in the park for a month
quickly blocked these students. The final wave came as 500
students began throwing rocks and bricks at the Defense Ministry
headquarters, just over 1000 feet from the presidential palace.
At one point during the day, it is reported that nearly 200
students actually managed to enter the presidential compound, but
quickly retreated when discovered by the riot police.
It was the third attempted assault that erupted in violent
clashes between the military and students. During the clash, in
which the students threw bricks and stones and the riot police
countered with tear gas, batons, and stones, at least fifty
students were arrested and three were seriously injured.
According to news reports, witnesses saw several beaten and
bloody students being loaded into army trucks and driven away.
Of the three who were taken to a hospital, two are in comas. One
witness said the three were female students. Throughout the
marches on the palace, the students chanted "Reform or
Revolution."
The following day more than 4,000 students attempted to take the
Parliament building in Jakarta. Riot police repelled the
students with tear gas and clubs, and opened fire on the
demonstrators with plastic bullets. While reports vary on the
number of wounded, ranging anywhere from a couple of dozen to
more than 100, it appears that at least one student died.
Initial reports indicate that the student died of a gunshot
wound, and that 10 others were also shot. The government
maintains that the police were only issued plastic and blank
ammunition. This statement, however, is irrelevant since blanks
and plastic bullets are potentially lethal. There was also
evidence suggesting that the students killed in November's
demonstrations may have been shot by unknown third-party snipers,
attempting to instigate a more serious clash. This could have
been the case this time as well, but there is no evidence yet to
support this possibility.
The three student attempts on the presidential palace seem to
have been designed to incite a violent response from the armed
forces. While on the same day, between 700 and 1300 students
demonstrated peacefully in front of the Attorney General's
office, calling for the arrest of former president Suharto, the
students intentionally chose targets--the palace and the defense
ministry--forbidden to demonstrators. As well, the student
groups kept growing larger in the three successive attempts. It
is clear that the student groups have moved beyond general calls
for reform and are advancing a new agenda. The fatality on
December 17 is also important, as it is likely to incite even
more violent demonstrations. This is the first death since the
November demonstrations. The incident in November sparked not
only a huge public outcry, but set off reverberations throughout
the government as well.
President Habibie publicly voiced concern to Armed Forces
Commander General Wiranto over the protests, saying "If the
protests are not controlled it can lead to the disintegration of
the nation." Interestingly, Habibie is keeping Wiranto close at
all times. An obvious justification is that Habibie is worried
about his personal safety given the unrest in Jakarta. However a
more significant reason that Habibie needs to keep an eye on
Wiranto is because of rumors earlier this month that the Armed
Forces were plotting a coup.
The agenda of the demonstrators is now specifically targeted at
Habibie and General Wiranto. The students are calling for
Habibie's immediate removal, Wiranto's dismissal, a trial to hold
Wiranto responsible for the deaths of students in past protests,
and the withdrawal of a proposed civilian militia. The students
are also ignoring the calls of opposition leaders to hold off on
demonstrations during the month-long Moslem fast of Ramadan,
which begins December 20. Student political groups have declared
that, despite requests from Moslem and government leaders, they
will continue street demonstrations during Ramadan.
What has emerged after a week of relative calm in Jakarta is a
new wave of protest, with groups of students attacking riskier,
more politically sensitive targets, articulating a new agenda,
and indicating a willingness to escalate their confrontation with
the army. This does not appear to be a continuation of broad-
based, semi-spontaneous protest. Rather, it appears that
smaller, more focused groups of students are attempting to
instigate a greater frequency and intensity of violent clashes,
and to generate broad-based responses to rejuvenate the protest
effort. These students appear to be better coordinated and more
directed, possibly by an unknown third party hoping to topple the
regime and seize power in the ensuing chaos. The demonstrators
have succeeded in instigating violence, and Thursday's fatality
could provoke an even deadlier response from demonstrators, in
turn resulting in even more bloodshed and further weakening
Habibie's tenuous grasp on governance.
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