Student arrested for allegedly provoking riots in Makassar

The Makassar Police arrested Friday Ashari Setiawan, 34, member of the local chapter of the Islam Students Association (HMI), as he was believed to have provoked last week's violent clashes between students and police officers in Makassar.

Ashari was arrested in Pallasang district, Takalar regency in South Sulawesi, together with three of this friends on the way from Jeneponto regency to Makassar.

He was immediately escorted to the Makassar Police Headquarters, where he arrived at 5:45 p.m. local time  for questioning.

Aiswaria Amin, lawyer of the student of law school of University of 45 Makassar, said thatAshari was about to surrender himself to the police office, but police had arrested him instead.

“I have informed the police detectives that Ashari was about to go to the police office as long as there was guarantees he is not beaten,” Aiswaria said. Ashari shared Aiswaria's remarks, saying that was why he traveled to Makassar.

Ashari was named as the provocateur of the riot after he was involved in a heated argument with
Second Adj. Insp. Sutriman, a member of the Anti-terror Detachment 88 squad during a rally in front of the University of 45 Makassar, demanding that the government thoroughly settle the Bank Century bailout.

The dispute led Sutriman together with other police officers to attack the secretariat of HMI's Makassar chapter Wednesday night.

The students and HMI members retaliated by damaging three police stations, culminating in a violent clash between students and the police, who were assisted by local residents in the following three days.