A series of student protests against several controversial bills, including the Criminal Code Bill, continued in several cities on Thursday, and a demonstrator was killed during a rally staged in front of the Southeast Sulawesi parliament building in Kendari.
The dead student was identified as Randi, 21, a student from Halu Oleo University's Faculty of Fisheries. The cause of Randi's death remains unknown, according to Commander of the 143/Halu Oleo Regional Military Command Col.Yustinus Nono Yulianto.
"We are not yet able to determine whether the cause of Randi's death was triggered by the hit of a live bullet or rubber bullet," Yulianto said, adding that Randi died after receiving medical treatment at dr.Ismoyo military hospital.
During the Kendari protest, three demonstrating students also sustained injuries after clashing with anti-riot policemen, who attempted to disperse the demonstrators.
Kendari is not the only city where students again took to the streets to protest the recent passing of the Corruption Eradication Commission Law, and other controversial bills.
On Thursday, student protests also broke out in other cities, such as Surabaya, the capital city of East Java Province, and Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara Province.
Over the past few days, student protests have taken place in Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, and many other cities, including Medan in North Sumatra, Malang in East Java, and Bandung in West Java.
The students echoed their demands for the House of Representatives' (DPR's) to not pass the controversial bills, including the Criminal Code Bill.
On Wednesday, a senior high school student named Bagus Putra Mahendra, 15, died after being struck by a truck while on his way to join other students who staged a protest in front of the Indonesian Parliament building in Jakarta.
According to Kompas.com, the police confirmed the death of Mahendra, but denied a report saying that the truck hit the student while trying to out-run the police.
The dead student was from Al Jihad Senior High School in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.
In Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi Province, the anti-riot policemen's repressive acts against the demonstrators and journalists who covered the protest resulted in the injuries of three journalists.
One of the wounded journalists is Muh Darwin Fatir of Indonesia's national news agency ANTARA.
Commenting on this incident, Secretary of the Association of Indonesian Journalists (PJI) Syafril Rahmat was quoted by Makassar Today as appealing to the South Sulawesi police chief to probe into the police action against the journalists.
The journalists were not criminals. Instead, they did their professional work as mandated by the Press Law Number 40/1999. To this end, the South Sulawesi police chief should take stern action against his men who were responsible for the incident.
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Related news: Universities to be sanctioned if students encouraged to stage rallies
(INE)
Translator: Muhammad H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
