Hundreds rally against sweeping

Hundreds rally against sweeping

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

JAKARTA: Some 400 residents from Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta,
staged a peaceful rally against the sweeping (searching for and
attempting to expel) of foreigners, on Hotel Indonesia traffic
circle in Central Jakarta on Sunday.

The demonstrators, including housewives and children, called
on the public to remain calm in facing conflict between
Afghanistan and the United States.

"We are against sweeps of foreigners, terrorism and violence,"
one of the protesters was quoted by Antara as saying.

Unfurling banners and posters, the demonstrators urged the
government, scholars and political elite to prioritize issues of
national importance.

They suggested the government concentrate more on solving
domestic problems in the restive provinces of Aceh and Maluku,
and the refugee problem in East Nusa Tenggara.

On Friday, hundreds of residents in Tebet, South Jakarta also
staged a rally against the sweeping of foreigners.

Earlier this month, residents of Jl. Jaksa, Central Jakarta,
established an anti-sweeping forum. Jl. Jaksa is very popular as
a location for short-term accommodation for foreign backpackers.

Thousands of people participated in anti-U.S. rallies over
several days last week in front of the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan
Merdeka Selatan, the UN office on Jl. M.H. Thamrin and the House
of Representatives building on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central
Jakarta.

One of the rallies, conducted by the Islamic Defenders Front
on Oct. 15, ended in a clash with police officers. Dozens of
demonstrators were injured, while 12 of them were arrested.

The anti-U.S. rallies have been a cause of concern to the
government and analysts as they have started to damage the
efforts aimed at economic recovery.

Vice President Hamzah Haz, who is also chairman of the
Islamic-based United Development Party, has called on the public
to stop the anti-U.S. demonstrations.