Hundreds of PDI supporters booked

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)