Police told not to resort to violence

A group of 200 people staged a peaceful rally outside the Jakarta Police Headquarters on Friday, to demand that police remain professional and do not resort to violence in dealing with protesters in the capital.

The Anti-Violence Society (Masyarakat Anti Kekerasan), led by Ahmad Uganda, held speeches and distributed leaflets to passersby.

"This is our way to support the police," Ahmad said.

As there would be a lot of groups who will express their aspirations during the ongoing Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly, the group said that it would support the police in maintaining security and order.

"But please do not use violence. We also have the rights to voice our aspirations," Ahmad remarked.

The Assembly session, which was opened on Thursday, will run until Nov. 10. During the first day of the session, several groups staged rallies outside the legislative building but no major incidents were reported. --JP