April 19, 2001
Police clashed in Jakarta yesterday with two separate groups of students protesting against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and former dictator Soeharto. About 200 protesters from at least three university student groups marched outside the UN office in Jalan Thamrin, Central Jakarta, and demanded a visiting IMF team to leave Indonesia immediately.
The clash erupted as the demonstrators forcibly broke open locked iron gates of the UN office to get through into the building compound The students later dispersed after police fired tear gas and beat them with batons. At least one of the protesters was arrested during the protest which caused traffic congestion on the main streets outside.
The police also confiscated several posters and banners carried by the protesters. One banner read: "IMF, you can keep your money". The protesters said they were opposed to the country's already debt-ridden economy being burdened with more loans.
IMF officials are currently in Jakarta to review a stalled US$ 5 billion rescue package for the country's ailing economy, which collapsed three years ago amid the Asian financial crisis.
The students also rejected the IMF's pressure on Indonesia to cut government oil subsidies for the poor and partly blamed the international agency's intervention, technically called structural adjustment, in Indonesia's economic affairs for the country's collapse.
The protesters also called for "people's justice" to try former officials linked to Soeharto's corrupt regime and to confiscate the Soeharto family fortune in order to repay the country's debt.
Meanwhile in a separate protest, student demonstrators from the National Democratic Front were demanding that the government disband Golkar, which had been used by Soeharto and the military to retain power for 32 years.
Soeharto was forced from power by anti-government protests and mass riots in 1998. Golkar is the second largest faction in parliament. Student groups wanting to see the party banned and its leaders put on trial for alleged corruption have frequently clashed with police.
Golkar has been playing a major role in the current political crisis in which President Abdurrahman Wahid faces possible impeachment over allegations of corruption. He denies any wrongdoing and is refusing to quit.
However, many legislators said they will force him to resign constitutionally, opening the way for him to be replaced by powerful Vice President Megawati, who is the daughter of Soekarno, the nation's founding president.
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