Professionals rally at JSX building

Professionals rally at JSX building

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of people of different professions
rallied at the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JSX) building on Monday,
condemning last week's bomb attack at the building which left at
least 11 dead and dozens injured.

The protesters, including lawyers, bankers, stock brokers and
engineering consultants who work at the building and other
business centers in the capital, rallied at the main entrance of
the 34-story building during their lunchtime.

During the rally, some of them went to the front of the crowd
and delivered speeches, condemning the masterminds behind the
bombing.

"These professionals want to show their opposition to violence
and terror, which have been terrifying society," coordinator of
the rally, Hotasi Nababan, said.

Among the protesters were JSX's chief commissioner Erry Riyana
Hardjapamekas, deputy secretary-general of the National Mandate
Party (PAN) Bara Hasibuan and former state minister of investment
and state enterprises development Laksamana Sukardi.

Laksamana said that the latest bombing in the capital had
tarnished the country's image.

"We now have an image of a barbaric country," Laksamana said
at the rally.

"Whoever was behind this bombing, whatever their motives are,
they should know that they only killed their own brothers,"
Laksamana said.

"If they disapprove of the behavior of the government or
politics, let's talk and discuss it together."

Laksamana said the bombings had significantly affected
economic activities in the country.

"Today, we witnessed the fall of the Composite Index (at
JSX)," Laksamana said, adding that the drop was one of the
objectives of those behind the bomb attack.

The JSX Composite Index on Monday closed at 411.033, 7 percent
lower than closing on Wednesday in which trading was suspended
due to the devastating blast in the parking lot in the basement
of the JSX building.

Monday's closing was the lowest in 17 months.

The participants of the rally also collected money to be
donated to victims of Wednesday's bomb blast.

The dead and injured in the JSX bombing were mostly drivers.

Students

While the professionals were staging a rally at the JSX
building, hundreds of students grouped in the City Forum (Forkot)
held a protest with a slightly different theme at the same site.

The students in their statement said that former president
Soeharto was behind recent bomb attacks in the capital.

"Acts of terror and the spreading of fear were patterns used
by Soeharto to retain power," one of the orators said.

"Yesterday they bombed JSX, may be tomorrow they'll blow up
our campus or other offices," he added.

The students continued their rally by placing a large banner
stating their demands on the lawn, including the immediate arrest
of the former president.

The two rallies ended peacefully when the professionals went
back to their workplaces and the students left the compound for
their campuses.(jaw)