PDI congress opens in chaos, 17 hurt<\/p>\n
PALU, Central Sulawesi (JP): Violent clashes erupted at the
\nopening of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) congress here
\nyesterday when hundreds of loyalists of ousted leader Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri tried to force their way into the venue tightly
\nguarded by security men from the government-backed party faction.<\/p>\n
When Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid opened the
\ngathering at the haj dormitory on Jl. Supratman, the clash
\nintensified. The two camps exchanged harsh words and threw stones
\nat each other for about 15 minutes, prompting the Armed Forces to
\nfire volleys of tear gas as well as rubber bullets to disperse
\nthe scuffling crowd.<\/p>\n
\"We had to shoot at the crowd with tear gas because we were
\noverwhelmed and the masses had become very violent,\" said one
\npolice officer.<\/p>\n
He did not say anything about the use of rubber bullets, but
\nMercusuar local daily reported that three of Megawati's
\nsupporters sustained severe rubber bullet wounds. Out of the 14
\npeople injured, Antara said, five were police officers.<\/p>\n
Army Lt. Col. Jumara told reporters at the scene that 1,097
\npolice officers had been deployed at the congress, including riot
\npolice, mass control units and regular police. Many soldiers were
\nalso present.<\/p>\n
Party faction leader Soerjadi has also deployed 1,500 party
\nsecurity men.<\/p>\n
Palu, a city of two million people, became tense yesterday
\nmorning following reports that two molotov cocktail exploded at a
\nwarehouse belonging to a local businessman.<\/p>\n
It soon became a ghost town with schools and shops near the
\nhaj dormitory closing out of fear of massive demonstrations by
\nMegawati supporters.<\/p>\n
Public transportation drivers stopped operating. Razak, one of
\nthe drivers, said he preferred to lose a day's earnings than have
\nhis car smashed up by a mob. Besides, \"...not many people are
\nventuring out of their houses in need of public transportation,
\nanyway,\" he said as quoted by Antara. \"These past two days, our
\nearnings have declined.\"<\/p>\n
Riot police complete with rifles patrolled areas considered to
\nbe especially vulnerable to unrest.<\/p>\n
Adding further spice to the congress was a boycott by dozens
\nof reporters who were barred from entering the compound despite
\nhaving credentials signed by PDI secretary-general Buttu R.
\nHutapea.<\/p>\n
The congress, which lasts through Saturday, is being organized
\nby Soerjadi's camp with President B.J. Habibie's blessing,
\ndespite mounting protests from many quarters. Thousands of
\nMegawati supporters from across the country have flocked to Palu,
\nintent on disrupting the gathering which is expected to elect a
\nnew chairman.<\/p>\n
Megawati plans to hold her own congress in October in Bali or
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Megawati was ousted in a government-backed breakaway congress
\nin Medan, North Sumatra, in June 1996. Since then she has waged a
\nlegal battle challenging the validity of her ouster, with her
\npopularity growing all the time.<\/p>\n
The government has vowed to stay out of the matter, although
\nit is still calling on the two parties to reconcile. Megawati has
\npersistently rebuffed the call as she believes the government
\nfirst has to revoke its recognition of Soerjadi's leadership and
\nrecognize her.<\/p>\n
Election<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that many see the Palu congress as yet
\nanother of Soerjadi's maneuvers, some actually hope that it could
\nturn out to be the venue for the two camps' reconciliation.<\/p>\n
It has been reported that many of the 800 official
\nparticipants to the congress have now changed their stance and
\nare supporting Megawati.<\/p>\n
Yvonne Kasese, the chairwoman of the Palu PDI branch, said she
\nbelieved Megawati had a great chance to be elected Soerjadi's
\nreplacement despite her absence from the congress. She pointed
\nout that some branches' activists had actually started
\ncampaigning for her.<\/p>\n
\"At least five branches in Central Sulawesi have said they
\nplan to nominate her when election time comes,\" Kasese was quoted
\nby Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Ruslan from Aceh called on Megawati to be gracious and attend
\nthe congress so a truce could be called and the conflict ended.
\n\"This congress has a strategic value for the party's survival,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Megawati is currently busy with her own affairs, attending
\nparty gatherings outside Jakarta.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, about 500 Megawati supporters protested against
\nthe police for helping Soerjadi supporter Dimmy Haryanto and his
\ngroup go to the congress. Staging their demonstration outside of
\nthe provincial police headquarters on Jl. Ahmad Yani, the group
\ncaused heavy traffic congestion for two hours.<\/p>\n
The activists said they were hurt by the way the local
\ngovernment favored Soerjadi's camp. Dimmy and activists from
\nseven local branches were reportedly transported on three police
\ntrucks to Juanda Airport to board a flight to Palu on Monday.
\n(30\/nur\/swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pdi-congress-opens-in-chaos-17-hurt-1447893297",
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