Protesters target Australian Embassy again<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Australian Embassy was kept alert again on
\nWednesday when two groups of some 100 angry Indonesians held
\nprotests in front of the embassy compound in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Police kept security tight and there were no serious
\nincidents.<\/p>\n
The first group of at least 40 members from the United Islamic
\nReform Movement (GRIT) demanded Canberra treat Indonesians
\nstaying in Australia properly.<\/p>\n
The Muslim protesters wanted the Australian government and its
\npeople to stop blaming the Indonesian public for events in East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
\"We urge the Australian government not to blame the Indonesian
\npeople for what has been happening in East Timor,\" GRIT's
\ncoordinator Muhammad Abudan said.<\/p>\n
\"How many Indonesian people have so far been harassed in
\nAustralia? Here, only a few Australians have experienced similar
\nintimidation,\" Abudan explained.<\/p>\n
He urged the Australian government to respect Asian values,
\nsaying that Australia is not in Europe and that it should
\ntherefore respect the feelings of its Asian neighbors.<\/p>\n
The second group of 50 people calling themselves the Committee
\nof Student and Youth Action (Kampud) hung a black banner reading
\n\"Crush Australia\" in front of the embassy to express their
\nresentment at what they termed Australian interference in
\nIndonesia's internal affairs.<\/p>\n
\"We urge the Australian government to apologize to the
\nIndonesian government,\" Kampud coordinator Edy Chumaidi told the
\nmedia.<\/p>\n
The protesters also urged Interfet commander Maj. Gen. Peter
\nCosgrove to make sure that his 8,000 personnel remain neutral in
\nperforming their tasks, especially when disarming proautonomy
\nmilitiamen.<\/p>\n
The protesters had prepared car tires to set alight, but
\nsecurity personnel removed the tires before they could do so.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators yelled at the security officers to return
\ntheir tires, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
Afterward, two of the demonstrators took off their shirts and
\nburned the garments instead.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, 150 members of Pemuda Pancasila youth
\norganization also staged an anti-Australia protest in front of
\nthe Central Java Council later in the day.<\/p>\n
The protesters claimed that about 80,000 of its members in the
\nprovince were ready to fight the Australian-led troops in East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
\"We're ready to die defending our country. We won't let
\nforeign troops walk freely all over East Timor. It is still part
\nof Indonesia,\" said Rahmat, chairman of the organization's
\nCentral Java branch. (03\/edt\/bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protesters-target-australian-embassy-again-1447893297",
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