City could be 'rocked by riots'

City could be 'rocked by riots'

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Military (TNI) Deputy Commander Adm.
Widodo A.S. warned on Monday that the current situation was not
conducive enough to hold the General Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) in November.

The unsatisfactory climate, particularly viewed from the
political dimension and the people's psychological preparation,
could even lead to fresh riots in Jakarta, Widodo was quoted as
saying by Antara.

"The tension and potential for conflict among members of the
public remains high. Any accelerator and trigger could lead to
riots in the capital, and even in other towns (across the
country)," the senior Navy officer told the 20th meeting of all
the country's chiefs of military resorts and district commands
here.

One indication, Widodo said, is evident among the political
elites in that they have not shown a strong commitment
for compromise and consensus to settle differences.

TNI therefore considers political elites and all MPR members
could play significant and distinct roles in making the General
Session secure and a success, he added.

The military also continued its efforts to ask the country's
politicians to play bigger "positive and proactive" roles in
controlling their supporters.

The world witnessed fierce riots involving thousands of people
in Jakarta in mid May last year following the military shooting
into a sea of protesting students.

The riots, the most violent to ever happen in the capital,
caused massive destruction, leaving more than 1,000 people dead,
many of whom were looters trapped in buildings which had been set
on fire, and thousand others lost their shops, houses and other
property.

During Monday's meeting, Widodo told the military resort and
district commanders to stay alert to detect the possibility of
massive rallies and prevent them during the upcoming General
Session. (bsr)