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.