Anti-U.S. protests continue

YOGYAKARTA: Protest continued on Wednesday against the United States' plans to attack Iraq, which it accuses of developing weapons of mass destruction.

In Yogyakarta, around 100 student activists marched from the Gadjah Mada University campus in Bulaksumur to the Tugu crossroads, carrying posters and banners condemning the planned strikes.

"The U.S. has no legal basis to launch an attack. Iraq has nothing to do with the Sept. 11 tragedy. Why is the U.S. being so obstinate about this?" asked Hafidz Zaini, the protest organizer.

He said the world should use other alternatives to rid Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"There is still another way of dealing with the issue of Iraq. Negotiation!" Hafidz shouted.

Most Indonesians and many other people around the world oppose the possible attacks.

"The U.S. knows well that war will not gain them sympathy. We have to further spread the word that war is wrong. We have to reveal the truth," Hafidz asserted, asking for the public's support for the anti-U.S. protest.

A similar demonstration also took place in Bali, where dozens of students and other youths burned flags U.S. and British flags. --JP