Peaceful antiwar protest commended

It has been fairly clear that, so far, reaction to this unwanted war in Iraq has been peaceful in the way of protest all across Indonesia. That is not only commendable of the Indonesian government and the security forces, but also, in the main, of the Indonesian people.

No doubt, as days pass by, so stories will unfold that may bring to light more tragic details of certain events, and will add pressure on those that have so far refrained from adopting a more aggressive stance.

There has also been a number of articles that have contained the sensible comments of a number of prominent religious and government people, all of which have been along the lines that this war is nothing to do with religion, and that acts of violence in this country would be futile, destructive and senseless.

No doubt, everyone is hoping and praying for an early end to this conflict, but in the meantime, as a foreigner, the words "thank you" would not be out of place.

DAVID WALLIS Medan, North Sumatra