Anti-Australian protests hit major cities<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The rising wave of nationalistic fever brought
\non by a fervor of anti-American and Australian sentiment
\ncontinued on Friday as major Indonesian cities became witnesses
\nto flag burning demonstrations.<\/p>\n
Here in Jakarta at least 500 people, mainly members of the
\nPeople's Sovereignty and National Unity Struggle (Rver) and the
\nAnsor Youth Movement, burned the Australian and American flags at
\nthe Australian Embassy and on Jl. Sudirman on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The group first burned the flags on Jl. Jend. Sudirman in
\nSouth Jakarta.<\/p>\n
They then boarded two minivans and went to the Australian
\nEmbassy on Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Under the cautious eyes of hundreds of police officers, they
\nlaid the Australian and American flags on the busy asphalt road
\nand put them in a cage which contained two chickens which then
\nexcreted on the flags.<\/p>\n
\"This should teach Australians not to burn our flag,\" the
\ndemonstrators screamed.<\/p>\n
This is the third straight day demonstrators have descended on
\nthe Australian Embassy.<\/p>\n
Like previous days, the protesters were disgruntled over
\nCanberra's alleged intervention in Indonesia's domestic affairs
\nover the East Timor issue, and also the burning of Indonesian
\nflags by protesters in Australia.<\/p>\n
When police tried to intervene on Friday, the protesters
\npushed them away.<\/p>\n
\"They burned our flag in Australia. We burn theirs here,\" a
\nprotester said.<\/p>\n
One of the protesters leader, Zulkifli Tarigan, said that they
\nwere also unhappy with the United Nations Mission in East Timor
\n(UNAMET) over supposed irregularities in the Aug. 30 ballot.<\/p>\n
\"If UNAMET does not investigate and disclose the case,
\nkillings in East Timor will continue,\" said Tarigan, after
\nmeeting with the Australian Embassy's third secretary, Jo Leong.<\/p>\n
Tarigan said the embassy official promised to convey the
\ndemands to the Australian government.<\/p>\n
Noisy<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Semarang, Central Java, a similar scene broke out
\nas more than 100 university students staged a noisy protest in
\nfront of Australian Trade Representative office.<\/p>\n
They challenged Australia to prove its threat of sending
\ntroops to East Timor.<\/p>\n
The students, who identified themselves as the National
\nStudent Movement, also burned the flags of Australia and the
\nUnited Nations in front of the trade representative office.<\/p>\n
They also deplored the UN which they described as the
\nmastermind behind all disasters in East Timor.<\/p>\n
They decried the world body of failing to maintain neutrality
\nduring the ballot process.<\/p>\n
The students warned Australia and other western countries not
\nto interfere in Indonesia's internal affairs as East Timor was
\nstill part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
They also warned Australia not to behave like the champion of
\nhuman rights since their own record was far from perfect in
\nregard to the mistreatment of native Aborigines.<\/p>\n
\"If Australia tries to intervene or to invade East Timor,
\nAustralia will have to face the people,\" said Warseno, the leader
\nof the protesters.<\/p>\n
In Medan, North Sumatra, a dozen students also burned the
\nAustralian flag in front of the North Sumatra University on Jl.
\nDr. Mansur.<\/p>\n
Student leader Rasum called Australia arrogant by sending its
\nwarships near Indonesian waters.<\/p>\n
\"Australia is too snobbish,\" he cried to the enthusiastic
\nprotesting students.<\/p>\n
Separately, a senior official at the Ministry of Industry and
\nTrade cautiously reacted against the boycott threat launched by
\nthe Australian Council for Trade Unions (ACTU).<\/p>\n
The ministry's director general for foreign trade, Djoko
\nMoeljono, said the government would consult next with the
\nNational Importers Association (Ginsi) and the Indonesian
\nExporters Association (GPEI) before making any decisions. Ginsi
\nhas urged the government to boycott Australian products.<\/p>\n
Djoko said not all parties in Australia agree to the boycott
\nas it would only disrupt current close trade relations between
\nthe two countries.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, he said the Australian airlines, Qantas,
\nhad warned Australian airport workers that the boycott is against
\nthe law.<\/p>\n
\"We are still studying the ACTU's appeals,\" said Djoko, as
\nquoted by Antara. (ylt\/har\/30\/39\/prb\/ind\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/anti-australian-protests-hit-major-cities-1447893297",
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