Yogyakarta – Demonstrators calling themselves the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) held a protest action on Jalan Kusumanegara in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Sunday December 1.
The action, which started peacefully, ended in a clash after the protesters attacked police officers that were on guard at the location. The following is a series of facts about the Papuan student demonstration that ended in chaos on Jalan Kusumanegara in Yogyakarta.
1. Demo on Jalan Kusumanegara
According to Detik Jogja's observations, the AMP protesters had been arriving at the intersection on Jalan Kusumanegara since 9 am. They were calling for an end to the regular transmigration program in Papua which is being planned by President Prabowo Subianto.
"We know that the mobilisation of the transmigration program will be orientated to the slow-motion extinction of indigenous Papuans. The mobilisation of the transmigration program to Papua is a form of hand washing by the Indonesian colonial-capitalist regime which has brought structural impoverishment to the Indonesian people through the theft of land in various parts of Indonesia", said one of the demonstrators in a speech at the action on Sunday.
Furthermore, they also expressed opposition to the National Strategic Projects (PSN) in Papua that have been pursued since the era of former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
"The aim of promoting PSNs is to build strategic industries and also to build infrastructure with high investment value that is managed by the state together with the oligarchy", explained the speaker.
2. Protest ends in chaos
According to Detik Jogja's monitoring at the location on Sunday, the chaos began after the protesters finished giving speeches at 5.24 pm. The demonstrators were then seen disbanding of their own accord.
They then moved from the demonstration point towards the east. Their progress was watched over by joint units from the Yogyakarta Municipal Police (Polresta) and the Yogyakarta Special Province (DIY) Regional Police (Polda).
A riot suddenly broke out in front of the Kusumanegara petrol station (SPBU) when the crowd suddenly attacked the police.
The protesters could be seen hitting, pushing and throwing things at the police. The police tried to control the crowd by firing water cannons.
At around 5.55 pm the crowd slowly retreated and the chaos subsided, although the police could still be seen guarding Jalan Kusumanegara.
3. Tense moments during riot
A resident of Semaki Besar, Umbulharjo, in Yogyakarta city with the initials B explained that damaged household furniture included a wooden guest chair belonging to a resident whose house was right on the side of the road.
"It happened really fast, from the west they were pushed back towards the [Papuan student] dormitory", explained B when speaking to journalists in front of Semaki Besar alley on Sunday evening.
"That bapak's [man's] chair was broken, a guest chair made of teak wood. I don't know what was done to it during the riot, whether it was thrown or what", B explained.
B also said that there was an appeal from the police asking residents to go into their homes and not go out.
"I immediately closed the shutters. Yes, there was (an appeal) from the police who were wearing plain (clothes), telling people not to go out", said B.
4. Morning Star flag flown
Yogyakarta Municipal Police Chief (Kapolresta) Senior Commissioner Aditya Surya Dharma explained that initially, after the action, the protesters walked back to the student dormitory in an orderly manner.
"They had already returned earlier, then someone raised the Morning Star flag, we tried to secure it but they immediately attacked us", he explained to journalists at the location on Sunday evening.
"Yes, earlier there were food stalls whose plates were (used in the attack), but the focus of the attack was on us", continued Dharma.
5. Police chief injured
Dharma also claimed to have been injured on his right hand due to the attack. "Yes, I was hit by rocks and all sorts of things, it's normal, romantic", he said.
As for the current situation, hundreds of police personnel are still guarding the location, complete with crowd control vehicles. Dharma said that all the demonstrators have now gone back into the dormitory.
"We're still on guard here, because earlier we provided security for local residents, so that they (the masses) do not commit anarchic acts like earlier, have pity for Jogja residents", he explained.
"Yes, everyone has entered (the dormitory), now we are relaxing it so that the atmosphere is not tense, later people can move around", added Dharma.
According to Dharma, the police are trying to negotiate with the protesters so that the situation can be quickly restored to normal. "We're trying to negotiate with them, asking them to come out first, for the sake of the conduciveness of Jogja city", he explained.
"Essentially, the people of Jogja city are calm, they trust us", Dharma concluded. (aku/aku)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "5 Fakta Demo Mahasiswa Papua Berujung Bentrok di Kusumanegara Jogja".]
