The Jakarta Post, Makassar, Thursday November 13 2014,
Hundreds of policemen raided the Makassar State University (UNM) on Thursday and brutally assaulted students, chasing them into classrooms, injuring a number of them and vandalizing facilities and infrastructure.
The police also commandeered the memory card of a camera belonging to a photographer with the Koran Tempo newspaper, Iqbal Lubis. The policemen also assaulted Vincent Waldy, a correspondent for Metro TV, with shields, causing his left temple to bleed. Vincent received five stitches at the Faisal Islamic Hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Waldy was assaulted when he was trying to prevent the policemen from confiscating Iqbal’s camera.
“I was taking the pictures of policemen beating students who were in their classroom when suddenly a policeman grabbed my camera and prohibited me from taking pictures while some others were kicking me,” Iqbal said.
“When I told them that I am a journalist and showed them my ID card, Waldy came to call off the standoff but his head was hit with a shield.”
Iqbal said his camera was immediately returned but not the memory card.
Other journalists were also assaulted by the police.
“We showed our press ID cards but the policemen did not pay attention. We were beaten and my head is swollen,” said Muhammad Rifky from Celebes Online.
The police raided the UNM campus after a clash occurred between the students and police officers when the students closed a road during a rally against a planned increase in subsidized fuel prices.
During the clash, the Makassar City Police deputy chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Totok Lisdianto, was shot in his right armpit with an arrow. Totok had to undergo surgery at the Mappaodaang Police Hospital to remove the arrow head.
Separately, South and West Sulawesi Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi said he suspected that Totok being shot by an arrow had incited the policemen emotionally, triggering them to conduct the brutal assault against the UNM campus.
“We apologize for the incident, for our policemen beating journalists and raiding the UNM campus. We regret the incident,” Endi said.
He said the police would investigate the incident and punish any policemen found guilty.
Meanwhile, the journalists who were beaten by the police have filed reports with the Makassar City Police and demanded the perpetrator be arrested and processed immediately.
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do 13 nov 2014 - 20:36