Protests mount as election looms<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The capital witnessed more protest groups taking
\nto the major streets on Wednesday with each of them carrying
\ndifferent themes and demands.<\/p>\n
No serious clashes were recorded during the protests, which
\ntook place at different spots in the city in the presence of
\nsecurity troops.<\/p>\n
The rain that fell on parts of the capital at 3 p.m. did not
\nimmediately disperse the protesters, who came from different
\nwalks of life.<\/p>\n
Some of the protesting groups pledged to return to the streets
\non Thursday to demand that the People's Consultative Assembly
\n(MPR) reject President B.J Habibie's accountability speech later
\nthat evening.<\/p>\n
As usual, a number of streets were heavily congested due to
\nthe rallies.<\/p>\n
However, most business centers and offices still operated as
\nusual. Many traders and private employees, particularly those
\nlocated on the popular thoroughfares for demonstrators, insisted
\non going about their activities as usual.<\/p>\n
\"Our office will still be open and all of the employees will
\ncarry out their respective jobs as usual,\" Joneka M.K. Kandou of
\nJapan Airlines (JAL) said from his office in the Kyoei Prince
\nBuilding on Jl. Sudirman.<\/p>\n
At least three groups of protesters reached the Senayan
\nflyover on Wednesday, which is only a short walk from the heavily
\nguarded Assembly building, to express their opinions, mostly on
\nEast Timor and the role of the military in politics.<\/p>\n
Minor incidents occurred at the Australian Embassy in South
\nJakarta as hundreds of student protesters shouted abuse and
\nhurled tomatoes and stones at the premises, protesting the
\nperceived arrogance of Australian troops in East Timor.<\/p>\n
Around 100 men from North Jakarta arrived first, some of whom
\nwere wearing Aitarak (an East Timoresre militia) t-shirts. They
\ncarried a huge Indonesian flag and hurled insults at the
\nAustralian government and military.<\/p>\n
The group was then replaced by some 200 students from the
\nprivate Jayabaya university, who besides yelling anti-Australian
\nslogans, also pelted the embassy building with tomatoes and
\nstones.<\/p>\n
The second batch only stayed briefly and gave way to a third
\ngroup who arrived aboard several buses.<\/p>\n
The new arrivals, from Borodubur private university in East
\nJakarta, burned an Australian flag in front of the embassy.<\/p>\n
Their huge banners urged the Assembly to \"react strongly\" to
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
But the students also called on Indonesians not to be violent
\ntowards any Australians staying in this country.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the traffic circle in front of Hotel Indonesia in
\nCentral Jakarta was dominated by thousands of supporters of the
\nchairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle,
\n(PDI-Perjuangan) Megawati Soekarnoputri, the front runner in the
\npresidential race.<\/p>\n
Coming from various organizations, their number reached some
\n2,000 people by 3 p.m.<\/p>\n
The groups, mostly clad in the party's red and black colors,
\ncarried large banners to express their strong support for
\nMegawati, a daughter of the country's first president. One of her
\nsupporters wore a gorilla costume, which attracted onlookers.<\/p>\n
\"Long live Megawati! Megawati or Revolution !\" chanted the
\nprotesters. Around 3 p.m, the hundreds of PDI-Perjuangan
\nsympathizers marched south along Jl. Sudirman, causing heavy
\ntraffic congestion.<\/p>\n
Other protesters at the traffic circle aired their opposition
\nto the reelection of President Habibie.<\/p>\n
A group of 150 students from the Indonesian Litigation Academy
\nalso rallied at the traffic circle -- only to say that they
\nsupported nobody for the president.<\/p>\n
They were then replaced by some 200 students from Muhammadiyah
\nUniversity, who suggested that the people should join hands to
\nuphold the nation's unity.<\/p>\n
Other groups which rallied at the site included those from the
\nAction Forum for Caring the Nation (Facta) and the Indonesian
\nStudents Board of Action (Damai).<\/p>\n
While other students staged protests at different sites around
\nthe city, dozens of students at Atma Jaya University were
\ninvolved in a brawl which left several of them injured.<\/p>\n
In Tangerang, the security authorities have already started to
\ndeploy their personnel at the approach roads to the capital to
\nwatch out for any possible troublemakers wishing to enter.
\n(asa\/bsr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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