Fearful city hides behind closed doors

JAKARTA (JP): Business activities slightly stirred in the capital on Thursday after the previous day's violent clashes between security troops and supporters of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) prompted many businesses to close their doors.

Following the victory of Megawati in the afternoon, hundreds of her supporters flooded the main streets of the capital in the evening to celebrate her triumph.

City workers were busy removing garbage and debris from vandalized public facilities, such as flower pots, electric poles, traffic lights and tollbooths, since the early hours of the day.

The clashes on Wednesday following the defeat of PDI Perjuangan chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri in the presidential election left a great number of public facilities on the city's main roads damaged by mobs.

The Jakarta administration estimated the financial loss at about Rp 1.25 billion.

Many streets had returned to normal by midday, although the flow of traffic was lighter than normal.

The favorable mood continued into the night when Megawati was elected vice president.

At the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, City Park Agency employees lifted damaged plants onto a truck.

Wiganda, one of the employees, said the plants would be replanted and returned to health in an area along Jl. Barito in South Jakarta.

"We will probably reuse the plants later on," he said.

Some shops and offices, such as those at the busy Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta and along Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta where violence was witnessed, were, however, still closed on Thursday.

Some shop owners at Tanah Abang textile market decided to close their doors early, worrying that Megawati supporters would run amok again if she lost the vice presidential race on Thursday.

Damages from Wednesday's clashes included 10 burned or damaged cars, two burned tollbooths near the Semanggi cloverleaf, six damaged trees and four vandalized public telephone booths.

Governor Sutiyoso stated on Thursday that the administration would not immediately repair the damaged facilities nor remove the banners and flags of PDI Perjuangan scattered around the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

"We will wait until the situation is calmer," he said. (ind/jun/asa)