Semblance of calm returns to Jakarta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An uneasy calm returned to the capital on Sunday
\nafter three tense days blackened by bloodshed, arson and looting.<\/p>\n
Jakarta was unusually quiet as most residents chose to stay
\nindoors, but the presence of troops in major commercial centers
\n-- scene of mass lootings and burning on Saturday -- and armored
\nvehicles on the roads ringing the Presidential Palace was a
\nreminder of continuing tension.<\/p>\n
\"It's better for us to stay at home and watch television
\ninstead of being shot by the brutal police and soldiers,\"
\nhousewife Darwati said.<\/p>\n
Most shops and entertainment centers in Jakarta and
\nsurrounding areas of Tangerang and Bekasi were closed.<\/p>\n
Few motorists ventured onto the streets.<\/p>\n
The overcast day was more notable for the arrest of several
\npublic figures for questioning in connection with suspected acts
\nof subversion.<\/p>\n
Few could pinpoint for a fact what had brought about the shift
\nin mood from the mayhem of just hours before and the anger
\ndirected against the Special Session of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) from last Tuesday to Friday.<\/p>\n
Many attributed the calm to the influence of the students, who
\ndecided to temporarily leave the streets on Saturday midnight.<\/p>\n
Others claimed it was caused by President B.J. Habibie's order
\non Saturday to Minister of Defense and Security\/Armed Forces
\nCommander Gen. Wiranto to take firm action against anybody
\nintending to bring down his government.<\/p>\n
Major roads, crowded with students and the public on Saturday,
\nwere deserted.<\/p>\n
Shops usually open for brisk business over the weekend were
\nclosed in Jatinegara, Glodok, Senen, Pecenongan and Pasar Baru.<\/p>\n
All was quiet in Jatinegara except for dozens of police and
\nmilitary troops on guard in the area.<\/p>\n
A day earlier, thousands of people flocked near the site,
\npelting stones and bricks at the East Jakarta police precinct
\nheadquarters.<\/p>\n
Nani, a housewife from Pondok Bambu, canceled her trip to the
\nMester market in the Jatinegara area after seeing groups of
\npeople hanging around in the streets.<\/p>\n
\"I'm afraid there will be a riot. It's more silence in the
\nstreets,\" said Nani, who was accompanied by her husband.<\/p>\n
Owners of shops and automotive showrooms along Jl. Matraman,
\nJl. Kramat Raya, Jl. Gunung Sahari, Jl. Gajah Mada, Jl. Hayam
\nWuruk, also kept their businesses closed.<\/p>\n
Mal Atrium and Planet Senen shopping centers remained closed
\nafter hundreds of people stoned and tried to loot shops in the
\ncomplexes on Saturday. Marines had intervened to prevent
\nwidespread looting.<\/p>\n
All toll roads crossing the city were open in the afternoon
\nand only a few streets in the capital remained blockaded, but
\ntraffic was light.<\/p>\n
Streets still off-limits to the public included Jl. Gatot
\nSubroto in front of the MPR\/House of Representatives (DPR)
\nbuilding and roads heading to the Presidential Palace and
\nNational Monument Park.<\/p>\n
Only a few public buses and minivans hit the streets, leading
\nto a long wait for hundreds of people brave enough to go out,
\nincluding those in Slipi, West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Patrols<\/p>\n
Many neighborhoods stepped up citizen patrols, reminiscent of
\nthe days following the mid-May riots.<\/p>\n
Violence unfolded in the city beginning on Thursday when
\nstudent protesters clashed with heavily armed troops at the
\nSemanggi cloverleaf leading to the MPR. A high school student and
\na police officer died.<\/p>\n
The friction erupted in unprecedented bloodshed in the capital
\non Friday, the last day of the MPR session, when police and
\nsoldiers opened fire on a sea of thousands of students and
\nmembers of the public at the Semanggi cloverleaf.<\/p>\n
Clashes were also recorded in other parts of the city. On
\nSaturday, people vented their anger toward the police and
\nmilitary by burning vehicles and shops and looting.<\/p>\n
As of Sunday, at least 15 fatalities were recorded.<\/p>\n
Religious organizations called on the people to remain calm
\nand vigilant against provocative acts, but many mass
\norganizations issued statements calling for President B.J.
\nHabibie and Gen. Wiranto to take responsibility for the violence
\nby resigning.<\/p>\n
Many residents and property owners flew the national flag at
\nhalf-staff in a spontaneous show of mourning for those who died.<\/p>\n
Banners expressing condolences for Friday's bloody incident
\nwere also hung from buildings.<\/p>\n
The unrest led many prospective newlyweds to cancel their
\nplans.<\/p>\n
\"We received hundreds of announcements of wedding
\ncancellations,\" Wimpie, a staff member of he Sonora radio
\nstation, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of other callers wanted radio stations such as Ramako
\nto air notification of the temporary closure of schools and
\noffices.<\/p>\n
In Tangerang, most shops and shopping centers on Jl. Kisamaun,
\nJl. Merdeka, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Jl. Serpong Raya and at
\nthe Anyar market were closed. Many automated teller machines of
\nseveral banks, including BCA, a target during the May riots, were
\nlocked or inoperable.<\/p>\n
A few business centers opened -- particularly in South Jakarta
\nsuch as the Pasaraya Department Store, Pasar Minggu shopping
\ncenter, Plaza Blok M and Pasaraya Manggarai shopping center --
\nalthough the number of visitors was fewer than on usual Sundays.<\/p>\n
At Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, an information staff
\nmember said all flights ran on schedule on Sunday.<\/p>\n
City Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. DJ. Nachrowi
\nrecommended that people report suspicious events to security
\nofficers or call the toll free number 122. (bsr\/jun\/41\/)<\/p>",
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