Hundreds of PDI supporters booked
JAKARTA (JP): Police booked hundreds of Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) supporters here and in Surabaya yesterday for traffic violations.
Police here booked 32 motorcyclists and escorted 500 other PDI supporters to the police headquarters after rallies around the city.
Most of the 32 were fined for not wearing helmets or for not carrying motorcycle licenses.
Police also booked the drivers of six buses, being used by party supporters, for breaching route regulations and not carrying campaign stickers. The PDI rented about 100 public buses for campaigning yesterday.
Police regulations say that vehicles used for campaigning must carry police permits.
City police chief, Col. Feisal Hamin, said North Jakarta Police had detained 17 party supporters for "destruction of property" during a convoy on Jl. Plumpang Semper.
At around 12.30 yesterday, alleged supporters of PDI ousted chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri pelted stones at passing PDI supporters, heading for a rally at a neighborhood hall.
In Surabaya, East Java, police booked about 100 PDI supporters for not wearing helmets, carrying passengers and not carrying licenses.
Surabaya police chief, Col. Dewa Astika, said they had been booked on their way to a PDI rally.
Three PDI rallies were held in Surabaya. The party's local chapter had initially planned to hold eight rallies.
Brawijaya Military District Command chief Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, local military commander Col. Syamsul Maarif and Col. Dewa inspected three rallies.
PDI's rally in Semarang, Central Java, yesterday was a peaceful indoor affair, including discussions, a thanksgiving prayer and a display of party symbols. There were no convoys.
PDI local chapter chairman Danang Suwito told the gathering that the party would not fight for democracy "without clear reasons" because that would mean "having no identity".
Danang pledged that the party would struggle in the next five years to uphold the "democracy of the people and for the people, including democracy in politics and economics".
In Bogor, West Java, the traffic was congested for four hours when PDI supporters held their street rally. Thousands also rallied on the streets of Bandung, West Java.
In Kediri, East Java, thousands of people attended a rally featuring PDI campaigner Budi Hardjono who spoke about how the steep price of fertilizer hurt farmers. (aan/cst/nur/har)