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Subject: UPDATE - Timorese protest in Jakarta
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 1998 01:19:05 +1000
From: East Timor Relief Association <etra@pactok.net>
SOURCE: MATEBIAN NEWS -
SYDNEY
______________________________
An eyewitness account
of today’s Timorese students protest in Jakarta (12 June 1998) in the Foreign Ministry of Indonesia
12AM, Sydney time.
At about 12pm (Jakarta time) we could feel that the situation was very tense. The Indonesian troops from KOSTRAD, KOPASSUS, POLICE, PM (military police) - approached the venue. They were more than one thousand.
They began to beat the students, forcing them to stand against the wall. The students resisted the demands of the Indonesian troops. The troops then pushed the students and some fell on top of others. Some were thrown on top of the others.
The troops used batons to beat the students which forced many to climb the fence. Those who did climb the fence were injured.
Three women were badly beaten by the troops and are now suffering serious injury in the hospital. The 3 women were taken to the Catholic "Carolus" hospital. They names and ages are: Maria Fatima (24), Helena (23), Agostinha Fonseca (22). All three were badly injured to the point where they couldn’t even speak - until now (12am Jakarta time). Maria was vomiting blood and her nose was also bleeding. Helena and Agostinha are not able to drink water and both are having difficulties in breathing.
Other students were taken to four different places: Cibubur, Tanggerang, Jakarta west and Jakarta east for interrogation. The majority of them are currently held in Jakarta.
END