Bomb hoaxes in Surabaya, protest rally in Pasuruan

Bomb hoaxes in Surabaya, protest rally in Pasuruan

JAKARTA (JP): Peace and calm prevailed in almost all regions
of the nation while the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
proceeded with its Special Session to dismiss Abdurrahman Wahid
as president and name his deputy Megawati Soekarnoputri as
Indonesia's fifth president on Monday.

Two bomb threats were made in the East Java capital of
Surabaya on Monday, while security personnel found 80 bullets for
an FN pistol near railway tracks on Jl. Trunojoyo in Malang, some
85 kilometers south of Surabaya.

The first bomb threat was received by Gubeng railway station
at 8.15 a.m., with officers from the police bomb squad combing
the premises for any suspicious objects.

The second bomb threat followed two-and-a-half hours later,
targeting the Muhammadiyah Pucang 4 elementary school.

A bomb threat was also delivered to the house of Navy Chief of
Staff Adm. Indroko Sastrowiyono on Jl. Sepat on Sunday.

Meanwhile, approximately 500 people in Pasuruan, some 64
kilometers southeast of Surabaya, protested against the imminent
impeachment of Abdurrahman by cutting down trees along Jl. Raya
Kecamatan Rejoso at about 9:30 a.m., causing heavy traffic
congestion in the area.

Pasuruan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Wakin said that security
personnel managed to disperse the crowd peacefully later in the
afternoon.

No clashes were reported in the town, which saw a man killed
during riots following the House of Representatives' second
censure motion against Abdurrahman late in May.

Despite the calm, at least 360 officers from the police's
elite Mobile Brigade were sent to safeguard Gilimanuk harbor,
some 130 kilometers west of Denpasar, at the island's westernmost
tip. The harbor links the islands of Java and Bali and has become
the most important entry point to the resort island.

Pali Police chief Brig. Gen. I Wayan Ardjana told a media
conference that security on the island had been raised to the top
alert since Monday morning. Stricter security measures applied,
especially at places of worship and government facilities.

"In the worst case scenario, such as a mob blockading the
Gilimanuk-Ketapang harbor, the Navy will provide us with ships to
transport basic daily necessities from Java to Bali," Ardjana
said.

Udayana Military Command chief Major General Willem T da
Costa, who oversees security in Bali, West Nusa Tenggara and East
Nusa Tenggara, has already deployed his troops in Bali's western
region of Jembrana and Buleleng in North Bali to support the
police force in Gilimanuk.

Troop deployments also occurred in Makassar, South Sulawesi,
following a public announcement by Wirabuana Military Command
chief Maj. Gen. Ahmad Yahya, who oversees Sulawesi, stating that
the local military rejected a presidential decree to freeze the
House, MPR and Golkar Party.

Ahmad called on the public to maintain peace and refrain from
being provoked by rumors.

Makassar was quieter than usual, with government offices,
stores and markets all open as usual. There was a visible
decrease in the number of vehicles in the town.

Yogyakarta and Bandung also remained peaceful following the
appointment of Megawati as the country's fifth president.

In Yogyakarta, some 1,500 people from various social and
religious groups joined a rally on Monday campaigning for peace
despite the volatile political tension in Jakarta.

Dressed in traditional clothing, participants in the rally
held a parade on traditional andong carts and becak pedicabs
along the town's main thoroughfare, Jl. Malioboro. They carried a
huge banner, reading: "Peaceful Jogja for the country's unity".

Organized by the Yogyakarta Humanitarian Committee, the parade
was launched by Yogyakarta sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who is also
Yogyakarta Governor. (25/27/30/44/nur/zen)