Riau islanders demand separate province<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: More than 500 people from the Riau islands rallied
\noutside the House of Representatives building on Thursday in an
\neffort to win support for their demands for a sovereign province.<\/p>\n
They compared what they called a lackluster response to their
\ndemands from the House with the speedy legislative process which
\nled to the establishment of autonomous provinces in Banten,
\nGorontalo, Bangka Belitung, and North Maluku.<\/p>\n
"Why are our aspirations still unrecognized -- despite the
\nfact that we have been fighting for two years?" Zulkarnaen, one
\nof the demonstrators, shouted in dismay.<\/p>\n
The protesters, sporting traditional costumes, waved banners
\nreflecting their demands. They hailed from, among other places,
\nBatam, Tanjung Pinang, Natuna and Karimun.<\/p>\n
Zulkarnaen said the demonstrators came to Jakarta after both
\nthe central government and their local legislative council
\nrebuffed their demands.<\/p>\n
Thursday's was the third such rally in as many days since the
\npeople from Riau arrived here on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
They have staged protests in two other Central Jakarta
\nlocations, at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, and outside the
\nMinistry of Home Affairs. -- JP<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/riau-islanders-demand-separate-province-1447893297",
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