Police seize weapons from protesters at DPR
Police seize weapons from protesters at DPR
JAKARTA (JP): Police began collecting sharp weapons on Friday
from demonstrators for and against President Abdurrahman Wahid
aiming to enter the House of Representatives (DPR) compound.
No clashes were reported between the opposing groups gathering
only a day after a heated confrontation at the same venue.
Dozens of policemen guarded the front and rear gates of the
compound from mid-morning Friday, inspecting protesters and
collecting sharp weapons.
Police also searched vehicles used by the protesters, mostly
buses, looking for weapons. Hundreds of other police stood ready
on the grounds of the compound, watching for trouble.
Some 5,000 pro-Abdurrahman protesters poured into the compound
on Friday, outnumbering the 1,500 anti-President protesters who
have regularly visited the compound since last week.
The protesters gave up their weapons after they were gathered
by the police for a negotiation.
"After the negotiation, the protesters released their weapons
voluntarily to the police," said Sr. Insp. T.S. Gulian Syah,
chief of the City Police Patrol Unit, who directly supervised the
operation.
The operation was carried out after both camps met face-to-
face on Thursday, brandishing sharp weapons.
"The action was taken to avoid fatal clashes between the two
sides," said Gulian.
None of the protesters were arrested.
"If we had acted harshly, it would only create chaos.
Therefore, we persuasively asked them to release their weapons,
agreeing to return the weapons after they concluded their
protests later in the evening," Gulian said.
By midday, some 60 weapons were collected by the police.
The police also separated the two groups. Supporters were
allotted a space in front of the main building, while the anti-
President camp was asked to occupy space at the rear of the
building.
Djaffar Effendi, a supporter of Abdurrahman, said he hadn't
prepared himself for a clash, carrying a weapon in his village is
traditional.
"It's a tradition among Madura people to take sharp weapons
while out of their homes," said Djaffar, a Madurese who lives in
Buaran area, East Jakarta.
Soon after the negotiation, anti-Abdurrahman protesters were
ready to leave the compound.
"We obeyed the police request to leave the compound, since we
wanted to avoid violence," said Nursalim Dahlan, a coordinator of
the anti-President protesters.
The protesters then joined with other anti-President
protesters and staged a demonstration at the Hotel Indonesia
traffic circle, some two kilometers from the House compound.
The arrival of the anti-President protesters, riding in 24
buses, forced other groups of protesters to immediately depart
the scene.
Several groups of students from Mercu Buana University and the
Action Collective Network previously staged protests for
different reasons, namely accelerating the trial of former
president Soeharto and evaluating President Abdurrahman's
performance.
A minor incident occurred as a firecracker, believed to be
from the student protesters, exploded among the anti-President
protesters while the students were leaving the scene toward Jl.
Sudirman. The late arriving group followed after to retaliate,
but stopped when leaders with cooler heads prevailed.
During the demonstration from about 3 p.m. to 5 p.m, the
protesters demanded the President step down for failing to carry
out reform and enforce the law and restore the economy.
From the traffic circle, the protesters continued on to the
State Palace.
Meanwhile, some 150 students, grouped under the Indonesian
Muslim Students Association (HMI), staged a protest in front of
the State Palace, condemning the President for failing to settle
the Aceh problem.
"The President has failed to keep the country intact. It is
proven by the Aceh problem. The problem is still there, and the
government continues using the old militaristic approach, causing
many victims.
"The President's inability to settle the problem is a
compelling reason to force him to quit his office," said Ali
Norman, the coordinator of protesters. (asa)