Traffic creeps back to normal after last week's rioting<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Gambir Railway Station in Central Jakarta
\nreopened yesterday and road traffic started to creep back to
\nnormal after last week's massive rioting crippled the city of 10
\nmillion people.<\/p>\n
Roadblocks the military set up to foil an antigovernment
\ndemonstration last week were removed, except for a few leading to
\nthe National Monument (Monas). The demonstration was planned to
\nbegin at the monument.<\/p>\n
Students and political activists canceled the demonstration to
\navoid possible bloodshed.<\/p>\n
Monas Square is surrounded by vital government buildings,
\nincluding the presidential palace.<\/p>\n
The station, the busiest in town, was closed because of the
\nplanned demonstration on Wednesday. Instead passengers had to
\nalight and disembark at Manggarai Station, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"All trains connecting Jakarta and other towns are back in
\noperation here today,\" said Gambir Station spokesperson Iis.<\/p>\n
Although there was an absence of the city's usually horrendous
\ntraffic congestion, more and more private cars and public buses
\nwere back on the streets.<\/p>\n
Roads had been practically deserted since massive rioting
\nbrought economic activities in the capital to a halt on May 13,
\nwhen over 1,500 cars and motorcycles trapped in the rioting were
\nburned by mobs.<\/p>\n
There was light traffic at Patung Tani traffic circle in
\nCentral Jakarta yesterday because cars had to take turns to pass
\na roadblock that the military had not removed.<\/p>\n
Parts of Jl. Thamrin were still barricaded and traffic heading
\nfor Jl. Merdeka Barat was directed to Jl. Kebon Sirih or Tanah
\nAbang.<\/p>\n
Jl. Merdeka Utara, where the presidential palace, home affairs
\nministry office, Army headquarters and Supreme Advisory Council
\noffice are located, were closed to the public. Only employees of
\noffices in the area were allowed to enter.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, a traffic jam on Jl. Gatot Subroto in front of the
\nHouse of Representatives persisted yesterday due to motorists and
\npassersby stopping and watching demonstrating students in the
\nHouse compound. People parked their cars or motorcycles on the
\nroad.<\/p>\n
Traffic congestion has occurred there since Tuesday, when
\nthousands of students started to stage a noisy antigovernment
\ndemonstration. The protest still continues. (pan)<\/p>",
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