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Saturday, September 25, 1999 Published at 15:05 GMT 16:05 UK World: Asia-Pacific Students march in Jakarta ![]() Emotions ran high as the students advanced on parliament Indonesian students have again taken to the streets of the capital, Jakarta, calling for the resignations of President BJ Habibie and the army chief of staff, General Wiranto.
There was no repeat of the earlier clashes with the security forces, who maintained a relatively low profile - though they denied the students access to the parliament building.
The Indonesian Government had hoped that Friday's suspension of a controversial new security law would ease the tension on Jakarta's streets. The street protests on Thursday and Friday had focused on the Prevention of Danger law, which gives the army sweeping new powers of arrest and control under any "emergency situations" agreed with the president.
"We are not satisfied with the suspension of the state security bill, therefore we demand that parliament revoke the bill and the 1959 law on emergency conditions," the statement added. The latest fatalities were a nine-year-old boy and a 20-year-old engineering student, both shot by police on Friday evening, according to the Jakarta Post newspaper. Clashes spread An Indonesian cabinet spokesman said implementation of the security law was being put on hold "until a suitable time" because half the people did not understand it.
Violence has also been reported in the North Sumatran city of Medan, where 2,000 students blocked roads and clashed with security forces. At Bandung in West Java, 112 miles (180km) east of Jakarta, students occupied the government radio station and read statements denouncing the security law. On Thursday and Friday, more than 90 demonstrators were injured as the disturbances spread beyond Jakarta to Indonesia's second city, Surabaya, the resort island of Bali and the western province of Aceh. |
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