Antiwar rallies further target U.S. allies

Antiwar rallies further target U.S. allies

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

While the United States military and coalition troops moved
closer to Baghdad, antiwar protests here continued on Thursday,
with some targeting Arab countries which support the attack on
Iraq.

At least 75 students from the splinter group of the
Association of Islamic Students-MPO (HMI-MPO) rallied in front of
the Kuwait Embassy on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta and the
Saudi Arabian Embassy on Jl. M.T. Haryono in East Jakarta.

The protesters expressed disappointment with the countries for
allowing the U.S. and its allies to use their territory as their
bases.

"Those countries must be blamed for their failure to stop the
war. They are part of the war," the students said.

It was the second rally targeting the Saudi Arabian Embassy
within a week. Activists from the Islamic Students Alumni
Association (KAHMI) held a peaceful rally last week to protest
the kingdom's collaboration with the allies in the strike on
Iraq.

Antiwar protests also took place in the West Java town of
Cirebon on Thursday, as some 2,500 people from several mass
organizations and student groups blocked the city's main road
linking Central Java, West Java and Jakarta. The rally caused
heavy traffic congestion for nearly four hours.

Police rerouted motorists to the bypass road connecting
Kedawung and Pegambiran and the toll road linking Palimanan and
Kanci.

The protesters also picketed restaurants with names that sound
American, California Fried Chicken and Texas Fried Chicken,
neither of which is a franchise from the U.S. In addition they
also protested at two actual American-franchised outlets, Dunkin'
Donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) despite a heavy police
presence.

A fresh call for boycotts of U.S. products was heard in the
West Sumatra capital of Padang when almost 200 students of
Muhammadiyah staged a rally in front of the gubernatorial office.

The largest rally of the day took place in the South Sulawesi
capital of Makassar, where some 10,000 activists of the Student
Executive Body (BEM) across the city rallied at Karebossi stadium
to condemn the U.S. incursion into Iraq.

In the East Java capital of Surabaya, hundreds of students of
Surabaya National Development University (UPN) burned the U.S.,
British and Australian flags in front of the U.S. Consulate
Office on Jl. Dr. Sutomo, and also hurled rotten tomatoes and
eggs at the office.

Separately, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce told
reporters after a meeting with Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso that the
wave of antiwar rallies across the country were understandable.

"We see the peaceful rallies as part of democracy," he said.