Hundreds protest over play ban

SURAKARTA, Central Java: Hundreds of students and youths marched to the City Legislative Council yesterday in protest against the local government's last minute ban against a play about workers.

The protesters gathered at a park north of the Kraton Solo (sultan's palace). There was a brief moment of tension as they were prevented from entering the Legislative Council Building by security forces deployed around the area.

Failing to meet with members of the council, the protesters staged a sit-in outside the council building and held a "free forum" in which they criticized the government for the ban against the performance by the Tangerang-based Indonesian Labor Theater.

The group was to stage two sold-out performances at the Palace's Arts Garden on Saturday and Sunday. Police issued the ban less than 24 hours before the first scheduled performance.

Surakarta Police Chief Lt. Col. Hery Syafrudin yesterday explained that the play did not have a permit to begin with.

He denied the accusations that police had banned the performance. "We didn't even know that it was going to be performed here. How could we have banned it?". (har/emb)