Indonesian troops rampage through campus

Indonesian troops rampage through campus

By James Balowski

Scores of university students, workers and lectures were injured when Mobile Brigade troops went on a violent rampage through the campus of Syiah Kuala University, according to a September 2 statement by the university's student senate posted on the internet by the Indonesian-language publication SiaR.

The incident began after an altercation between a student and a brigade officer during a soccer match between two campus faculties. The student had attempted to erect a banner supporting one of the teams. When the officer tried to strike the student, other students came to his support.

Three trucks then arrived with troops, surrounded the field and forced all of those present to take off their shirts. They were then beaten and kicked. Students who tried to escape were pursued, beaten, kicked and clubbed. There are reports that others were slashed with bayonets.

Brigade officers then fanned out through the campus, attacking anybody they could find. Even students who were sleeping or eating, and knew nothing of the earlier incident, were attacked.

Officers broke into lodgings, dragged the occupants out and beat them. In one case, a student who was bathing was dragged out and beaten. In another, a father became a target when he tried to stop them striking his child. A number were forced into a truck and taken off to an unknown destination.

According to the victims data team formed by the student senate, at least 27 people were injured, many of them requiring hospital treatment.

From GLW issue 291