By Luke
Last Updated October 27, 1999
20 October 1999
It is the peak of 7-day demonstrations in Indonesia (since 14 October), to make massive pressure on the Parliamentary General Session.
Tens of Thousands of people have been gathering, concentrated at Sudirman Street and Gatot Soebroto Street, near the parliamentary building. The progressive revolutionary groups kept chanting "Refuse Militarism!", there are several agendas carried in this demonstration, including there fusal to Golkar (still remained as ruling parties in fact), Habibie and Wiranto (the Army's Chief Commander) from becoming president.
There are no significant public facilities damaged by the demonstrators during 7-days demos. The coalition was concentrated between demonstrators and the anti-riots troops. From everywhere many people are joining up, the streets were full of people. The students from campuses are sweeping and inviting peopl ealong the street to join.
We know if the General Session is successfuly done, the military will gain their momentum to recover, so we try to create a massive pressure as strong as we can to fail this event.
All elites, showed a strong indication to compromise with the military. The fully equipped (with new fire-proof suits, and new tear gass bombs) anti-riot troops had been ready to block and disperse the masses. As the masses increased in number, they shot at us with tear gas and rubber bullets. It happened 7-days in a row, morning til dark.
We didn't want to go back, we defended on the streets and threw stones at them.
The banners of many militant groups were flying in front of the troops, the molotoves and stones were hurling. The street battles only stopped at 6:00 pm when the moslem prayer call is heard. Every night during that 7-day the soldiers cleaned up the streets from exhausted demonstrators. They inspected every car and building, seized our ransoms. There were only small amounts of food , but local residents opened their homes and secretly gave us food.
The condition turned up side down when the morning came. After taking a rest, it's the time for the people who swept and cleaned the streets from soldiers. The military trucks were burned, we carried out geurilla tactics for 7 days.
The lost of Megawati Soekarnoputri on presidencial election increased the anger of the people. The demonstrators fought from morning until dark. We faced the troops in close range (about 20-50 metres). We smeared our face with tooth-pastes and close our nose with wet towels to hold against tear gasses. We kept throwing stones at thesoldiers in front of us, This lasted until 9:00 pm.
We had broken the military ultimatum that said if we don't leave the streets, they will shoot us. They wanted us to withdraw at 7:00 pm sharp. Tear gas and bullets were shot at us, but they couldn't push us out the street.
At 9:00, the water cannons were moving, it was dark because some street lights are behind big trees. They forced us back slowly, very slowly. And then they became more brutal, the shots was increasing, still the revolutionary and anti-militarism slogans were chanted everywhere. We ran inside the local residences, and hid, preparing a counter-attack. At this point, the troops searched until inside the local residences, entering by force into the houses!
At 11:00 pm, many trucks came in front of the Jakarta Hospital, near Atmajaya University. Many students were resting, sleeping, eating, and some of them seeking their injured comrades. The soldiers came inside the hospital, we were unprepared to fight, they made a mess of the hospital. They broke the windows, turned everything they saw up- side down. It was terribly horrible, many students couldn't escape. They were beaten, blood poured out from everywhere and left marks on the walls. The students who managed to escape by climbing the walls were beaten outside.
The Chief of Wahana Insan Merdeka (which I was its Secretary General), Indy, was almost caught by the soldiers. When she was charging her phone cell, the soldiers came in, after punching a guy who told them not to enter the small office near the hospital.
The soldiers beat some local residents and then searched around. Indy was hiding behind a desk, and then saved by an old man who claimed her as his daughter.
The students at STIE Perbanas University (our temporary homebase) were shocked to hear the invasion. Soon, we provoked and attacked every soldiers truck which passed by. Knowing STIE Perbanas is full of demonstrators, at 2:00 am 21 October 1999, the soldiers attacked the campus. They also physically toreup the campus grounds.
Although nobody died instantly in this incident, countless were badly injured. You couldn't imagine, it was like in Kosovo.
We still remember that many of us died bacause of the military's brutality. And we have learned how bad it was. The revolutionary and anti-militarism spirit is increasing rapidly here, and that gives us a very bright hope to continue this strugle.
If the atomic bomb came from particle frictions,we came from class frictions.
People will not Surrender.
We will Win!
People Who Unite Will Never Be Defeated!!
Luke. (Indonesian Student)
7-Days Street Battle in Jakarta
Since 14 October to October 20, the Indonesian people continously show their power by massive demonstration to refuse the military participation in the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly General Session.
The demostrations were held in many areas all over Indonesia. In Jakarta the people were concentrated in 'Hotel Indonesia' area, and Semanggi, near the MPR'sbuildings. There are thousands people gathering in Jakarta since 14 October 1999, which and became tens of thousands on October 20 1999. Many people had succeed in coming into Jakarta although the police officials had recommended that they come into Jakarta from outside provinces.
At Semanggi, the well-armed troops, equiped with heavy vehicles such as water cannons, were ready to blockade the demonstrators from reaching the parliamentary buildings. In several regions outside Jakarta, many demonstartors had occupied the district parliamentary buildings. The street battle cannot be avoided anymore.
The troops,consist of anti-riot troops from many areas including one called PPRM, which just came from Aceh (one of Indonesian military operations region, like East Timor)these troops tried to disperse the masses. They shoot and throw tear gas, beat people with sticks, firing inot crowds with rubber bullets and water cannons.
This has been happening since 14 of October as I said previously. Many people are injured, but the students from many organisations like, the PDI-P Security Unite, and local residence have shown an amazing spirit and anger towards the military. The demonstrators fought the troops 7 days in a row. It only stops when there are Moslem Prayer Calls, after that the stree battle resume.
The people hurl stones and throw moloteves to slow the trooop movement, but the strange thing is, there are also stones and molotoves thrown from the backside of the troops. During the city battle, the troops sweep the city every night, around 11:00 pm until morning, but in the morning, people occupied the streets again.
Sometimes the people swept the small groups of military on the streets. The PDI-P Secutrity Unites, equiped with rotten sticks and rotten shields also joined the demonstrators who fought on the streets. At the beggining, the PDI-P's Security Unites tried to avoid the clashes with military, but the military only knew to attack the masses in front of them, whether they are PDI-P's or not, is no matter.
No significant public facilities were destroyed by demonstrators here. The fighting was concentrated between demosntrators against the troops. The air was full of gas, hard to breath. The eyes of the people were getting red, but the revolution spirit is 'never die'.
They chant together our famous slogan, PEOPLE WHO UNITE WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED! REVOLUTION OR DIE!
The 20th of October 1999, during the presidencial voting, the demosntrators had succeeded to draw near to the parliamentary building. They fought amazingly! They are not affraid to do a frontal clash although the people can't breath easily because of tear gas, many small infrared lights (came from nowhere, I dont know) were resting on their heads. We reppeled the troops for 100-200 metres. The noisy sound of gas bombs were heard every day, every hour, every minute.
At night, the military declared an ultimatum to demonstartors, that they would sweep us if we don't retreat untill 7:00 pm, but the people were not affraid, they fought continously. Around 8-9:00 pm, the troops under the Semanggi bridge started to move forward, again they shot teargas. The ambulances which were running to and fro, came to save the demonstrators who were injured.
The fighting is not over yet. The revolutionary songs and slogans were echoing everywhere. The military pushed back the masses, they chased us until 2 kilometres backward. The sporadic street battles were happening everywhere. People inside the residencial places came out to help the demostrators.
The troops also invade the Jakarta Hospital, destructing their basement and several areas of the bulding. Many students were trapped in there, there is so much bloodsheed on the hospital walls. They beat everybody they meet in there and on the streets, they also attack the STIE Perbanas University buildings, which was the resting place for the demonstrators. Many people are very badly injured. It's so horrible to see their condition, but the most important thing remains, the revolutionary spirit is spreading everywhere and the people have to learn that their enemie is the military right now.
Viva People!
People Who Unite Will Never Be Defeated!!!
Revolution or Die!
Luke.
-Once again I sit down at my computer and read the first hand accounts of the struggles by the people in Indonesia. While at this moment there is a military coup in Pakistan, Mexican students striking under horrible conditions, Chechneyan refugees fleeing their homes from Russian bombs, the cries of Jakarta students remains ever so loud!
One of the most important aspects of this specific struggle is the communication. This student takes the time between molotovs and organizing to sit down at a computer and alert the world to what is happening by sending one e-mail. An action so simple delivering results so powerful justifies once again, the power of communication and solidarity.
>Those of you, who read the lasts updates in September from Luke and sent messages of solidarity, gave those students and now workers a message of truth, the present Indonesian movement is important to us all.
So again, we bring you another composition of first hand accounts of the violent struggles happening around Indonesia.
Jakarta Burning 10/17/1999 08:31 pm EDT
Since Thursday 14 October 1999 (indonesian time) the masses are gathering on the nearby streets around Indonesian Parliamentary Building to show a massive refusal to recent authority, namely the presidencial promotion of Habibie and the campaign around anti-militarism.
October 14, 3:00
The masses are sporadicly coming to the Parliamentary area, or Jl. Gatot Soebroto and Jl. Sudirman. We called it Semanggi.
Troops are prepared to "welcome" the masses. The masses consist of students, local residence, workers and PDI-P sympatisants; called Bull Fighters. The Bull Fighters are not told by Megawati to make a demo, but do so by their own will.
Cronology :
4:30 - The small clashes start around the flyover. The people burn some vehicles and wheels. The gas station nearby is not attacked, people only destruct the things related to the elites and military.
5:00 - The troops begin to shoot the masses with tear gase and several rubber-bullet random shots. The very strange thing here is that the troops are also throwing molotoves and stones into the crowds. They are acting crazy, they also beat some arrested people with no mercy. (ugh, hard to explain, but the ones who are arrested must be in very bad condition). The troops around parliamentary building have some heavy vehicles also, like water cannon trucks.
The masses (something of 2,000-3,000 people) had a big street-battle all day long. At some areas the troops destroy two PDI-P supporter cars. The PDI-P supporters at first, are guarded by their own Security Unites, they didn't fight the troops. However, as soon as the tension among us increases, the masses finally fight the troops frontally.
The masses now were throwing molotoves, stones, and using the catapults to fight, while the troops are also doing the same, except, they didn't use catapults they used guns.
We are forced inside the Atmajaya University campus at dark. But somehow around 11:00 pm, we managed to force the military to retreat quite far. This is because we were throwing stones and molotoves at one commando. The leader yells, ONE, TWO, THREE, and then we throw together, but not for long, the troops are crazier at dark.
At midnight, they swept the streets again, arresting many people. They also blocked the logistic supply to the students inside the campus. The sorrounding local areas are blocked too, including the small streets, and inside the local villages. We could't be evacuated from anywhere, with no food either. All we could do was rest and figh again.
The troops also urge the mass inside the University building to come out, they shout; "Whoever is not an Atmajaya Civitas Academica, out!" We managed to defend inside, but not for long, they attacked the University.
Most students, who learned from the last clashes, moved to the Jakarta Hospital. Now this remains our last fortress. The fighting continues until now, 18 October 1999.
Luke
(Student at Atmajaya University, Jakarta Indonesia)
People Who Unite Will Never Be Defeated!