Protesters threaten to storm House building<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of supporters of President Abdurrahman
\nWahid threatened on Tuesday to storm the House of Representatives
\n(DPR) building should the House decide, at its plenary session on
\nWednesday, to call for a special session of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) to impeach the President.<\/p>\n
Grouped under the White Tiger Truth Front squad, the
\nsupporters held a rally on Tuesday at the National Monument
\n(Monas) Park, demanding that the House stop calling for an MPR
\nspecial session to impeach their embattled leader.<\/p>\n
\"We will not think twice about storming in and attacking the
\nHouse ... we plan to defend our leader, President Abdurrahman
\nWahid, until the last drop of our blood bleeds away,\" a member
\nsaid in a speech on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"The House will be responsible if it makes any wrong decision
\nagainst the President and riots will break out in the provinces.\"<\/p>\n
The orator continued to say that the President would not stand
\nfor betrayal and that if any kind of trouble should befall him,
\nthen Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, MPR Speaker Amien
\nRais and DPR Speaker Akbar Tandjung would have to answer for it.<\/p>\n
Tuesday's protesters at Monas Park exhibited sickles while
\nmany others held a huge poster saying that should an MPR special
\nsession be held, East Java would fight to claim its secession
\nfrom Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The protesters arrived mostly from East Java, Abdurrahman's
\npolitical heartland, while some others came from Central Java and
\nother areas of West Java including Bekasi and Purwakarta.<\/p>\n
Fresh riots broke out in East Java, particularly in Pasuruan,
\non Tuesday as thousands of Abdurrahman supporters burned down a
\nnumber of churches.<\/p>\n
Police stood by helplessly and were forced to fire several
\nshots at the public as angry mobs vandalized public facilities,
\nset up roadblocks and rampaged through school buildings.<\/p>\n
While the police firmly stated that nobody suffered gunshot
\nwounds on Tuesday in East Java, circulating rumors in Pasuruan
\nclaim that at least 12 people were shot.<\/p>\n
As tens of thousands of police and military officers gear up
\nto secure the capital from possible widespread unrest on
\nWednesday, thousands of supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid
\ncontinued to pour into the capital, seeking refuge at Islamic
\nboarding schools, mosques and motels in Greater Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Yacob said on Tuesday
\nthat he had deployed a special police force of pemukul (beaters)
\nacross the capital in particularly riot-prone areas and business
\ncenters like Glodok and Mangga Dua areas and the Pasar Baru area
\nin Central Jakarta. He added that the \"beaters\" were each
\nequipped with rifles and fire extinguishers.<\/p>\n
\"It is my hope that they will be able to prevent possible
\nchaotic situations from worsening,\" Sofjan told reporters. (ylt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protesters-threaten-to-storm-house-building-1447893297",
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