The Jakarta Post, Makassar Tuesday November 18 2014,
Thousands of university students in Makassar, South Sulawesi held a mass rally protesting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to raise subsidized fuel prices by Rp 2,000 [16 US cents] per liter on Tuesday.
The rallies were held in several campuses, including Hasanuddin University, Makassar State University (UNM), Muhammadiyah University, Alauddin State Islamic University (UIN), the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) and the Indonesian Muslim University (UMI) in Makassar.
During the rallies, students blockaded some city streets by burning used tires or piling large pieces of wood and bamboo, and disrupted traffic on several provincial roads and main thoroughfares, with the worst traffic piling up on Jl. Sultan Alauddin, which connects the South Sulawesi capital with other cities in the province.
Demonstrators also clashed with residents who were angry because of the road blockages. The demonstrating students reportedly carried various weapons, including homemade pistols and crossbows. One protesting student was injured by an arrow.
Members of the police were also caught up in the fracas with the demonstrators, after trying to subdue them. Water cannon trucks became targets of the students’ rage and became subject to rocks being thrown and Molotov cocktails hurled into the air. Police responded with tear gas and water cannon.
Currently, members of the military are negotiating with several students in front of the UNM to call off the protests because of escalating clashes with police officers
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di 18 nov 2014 - 19:28