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Police break up student demonstration in Solo before it even starts

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Muchus Budi R., Solo – A demonstration by students in the Central Java city of Solo on October 20 against the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was broken up by police before it could even start.

Around 30 students calling themselves the Greater Solo Student Movement (GMS), which is comprised of Student Executive Councils from various Solo universities, the Indonesian Association of Catholic Students and the Indonesian Christian Students Movement, arrived at the Gladag traffic circle at around 10.30am. They were immediately intercepted by police and taken away to the Surakarta (Solo) Municipal Police Headquarters.

Although police asserted that the students had held the action without providing the police with prior notification, the students said that they had already informed the police verbally. They added that they were arrested before they had even done anything. Police also secured a number of posters brought by demonstrators condemning Yudhoyono and Boediono as being neoliberal lackeys.

A short time later, scores of Islamic Students Association (HMI) held an action at the same location, but were not stopped by police on the grounds that they had already provided notification. (mbr/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

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