Protesters told not to think of toppling govt

Protesters told not to think of toppling govt

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Amid mounting anti-government protests, Coordinating Minister
for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
warned protesters on Monday not to dream of toppling the current
legitimate government as it would confront them.

"Rallies are a part of democracy, however, if their goal is to
topple the current administration, that will be a problem and
will become our concern," Susilo said after the first Cabinet
meeting for the year.

Susilo warned further that any movement to obstruct the
government before the end of its term in October 2004 would only
hurt the democratization process in the country.

As he spoke to reporters, around one hundred protesters staged
a rally in front of Merdeka Palace to protest the increases in
utility charges. Thousands of others staged different protests
across the country.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said the police would
respect the rallies but urged protesters to abide by regulations.

"Please abide by regulations and report planned rallies to the
police. We will not take any repressive actions as long as the
rally goes peacefully," the police chief said.

However, the police chief's statement was in stark contrast
with the arrest of 18 people on Monday who took part in protests
against the price hikes in the capital.

Da'i, however, defended the arrests, saying that the arrests
were necessary to uphold the law and maintain order.

"We will not arrest anybody if they observe the regulations
and the protest does not turn violent," the four-star general
remarked.