Demonstrations In Kendari, Police Drop 500 Joint Personnel

Student demonstration in Kendari/Photo: Antara

KENDARI - The police deployed 500 joint personnel to anticipate the peaceful demonstration of students from various campuses in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Monday, April 11.

"The total number of members who have been deployed is 500 combined personnel from the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police, Kendari Police, and Southeast Sulawesi Mobile Brigade Unit", said Kendari Police Chief, AKBP Didik Erfianto as quoted by Antara.

However, he also hopes that the action this time will be safe and orderly, and not be excessive or anarchic. "We hope that students can politely convey their aspirations, especially when it is still in the atmosphere of the holy month of Ramadan so that worship is maintained", he said.

Monitoring from 09.00 WITA until noon at 13.00 WITA at several points, the police have installed security fences to prevent excessive student actions, especially around the Southeast Sulawesi governor's official residence.

The police have also diverted the flow of traffic in various places to avoid traffic jams caused by the actions of students who took to the streets. Students from various universities in Kendari have started moving from campus to several action points around 10.00 WITA.

The police guarded several strategic places, including the Southeast Sulawesi Regional House of Representatives Building, the official residence of the Southeast Sulawesi governor, all gas stations, and shopping centers.

Previously at 10.30 WITA, the Chair of the Southeast Sulawesi Regional House of Representatives, Abdurrahman Saleh, accepted the aspirations of students from the Kendari Branch of the Indonesian Student Association (HMI) and a combination of elements of the Kendari community in the secretariat building of the council, it was peaceful with several student demands, such as rejecting the discourse of postponing the 2024 election, lowering fuel prices and ending the scarcity of cooking oil.

"All the demands of the younger students are a special note and concern for us to pass on to the central government", he said.