Police used excessive force in handling fuel hike rallies: YLBHI

Rabby Pramudatama, The Jakarta Post | Wed, 03/28/2012 7:00 PM

The Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI) claimed on Wednesday that the police used excessive force in handling the fuel price hike rallies staged in several parts of the country on Tuesday.

"At least 200 protesters nationwide suffered major and minor injuries within the last 10 days of protests," Alvon Kurnia Palma said in a press conference at YLBHI’s office in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He said that the excessive actions included targeted arrests and torture, lashing out, seizing student cell phones and seizing journalist cameras.
In Jakarta, the rally turned violent as protesters forced their way into the Presidential Palace. Riot police responded by firing tear gas and spraying the crowd with water cannons, also ambushing protesters in Gambir, Central Jakarta.

Senior human rights activist and actress Ratna Sarumpaet, who was in Gambir at the time of the rally, said the violent rally had been set up by the police.

“I was there and everything happened in a blitz. What makes me think that the riot was a set up was because there were hundreds of police officers who suddenly appeared from inside the train station [Gambir], and also because there were snipers stationed there,” she said.

“I think we were herded and ambushed by the police,” she added.
Alex Argo Hernowo, an advocate from the legal aid foundation, agreed that the police were deliberately violent.

“Based on their standard operational procedures, the police know how to handle demonstration properly, but out of the 22 arrested protesters, all have suffered injuries,” he said.
He added that as the protesters’ lawyer, he was prevented from accompanying them into police custody at the Jakarta Police’s headquarters. He said he had to get through seven hours of negotiation order to meet the arrested protesters.

The police arrested at least 29 protesters on Tuesday, and are currently in the process of releasing them based on guarantees from the protesters’ families.

Scores of protesters were also injured during a rally in Palu, Central Sulawesi, after a group of students hurled rocks at police, triggering a clash.
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Deni, a spokesperson of the protesting students, said university students would continue their protests, despite many of their fellow students being arrested or hospitalized. (nvn)