Ayuningtias Puji Lestari, Palangka Raya – A demonstration held in front of the Central Kalimantan Regional Police Headquarters (Mapolda) has continued until Friday evening August 29. Several participants were injured during the action. Police have been urged to take responsibility and refrain from repressive actions.
The protesters, calling themselves the Total Police Revolution Alliance (Rekontal), have been demonstrating since around 1.30 pm in front of the Regional Police HQ. The participants at the action included students, the Palangka Raya Motorcycle Taxi (Ojol) Alliance, the Student Alliance and civil society activists.
The action was marred by some unrest after the crowd set fire to tyres and waved banners depicting the One Piece flag. The situation returned to normal after the Central Kalimantan Police Chief (Kapolda) met with the protesters.
Despite this, by late afternoon the protest in front of the Regional Police station become chaotic again with the fence appearing to have been torn apart. Meanwhile, participants threw bottles and police fired water cannons to drive the crowd away.
Field Coordinator Bintang stated that several protesters were injured during the incident. One of the injured protesters was identified as a member of Palangka Raya Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI).
"Their head was punctured, cracked after being hit with a club", said Bintang. "We strongly condemn this incident and are waiting for accountability from the police", Bintang added.
Meanwhile Rekontal Alliance spokesperson Maulana (22) said that initially there were five demands taken up in the action. This was then changed to three demands in accordance with the authority held by the Central Kalimantan Regional Police.
The following are the three demands from the Rekontal Alliance:
1. That the police be held fully accountable for the repressive actions taken against demonstrators throughout Central Kalimantan.
2. That the Central Kalimantan police prosecute and take firm action against any police officers who commit violations.
3. That the Central Kalimantan police refrain from repressive actions against the people of Central Kalimantan.
Central Kalimantan Police Chief Inspector General Iwan Kurniawan responded directly to the demands emphasising that he had consistently listened to the protesters' complaints and protests throughout the demonstration.
"Okay, show me your aspirations, I'll listen, and I'll follow up on what's within my authority", he asserted. Regarding the injured protesters, Kurniawan emphasised that he would conduct an investigation. "We will investigate the incident", he concluded.
According to the latest monitoring, the crowd dispersed peacefully at around 6.30 pm (aau/aau)
[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Peserta Alami Luka Saat Demo, Polda Kalteng Diminta Tanggung Jawab".]
