Rallies hit Jakarta ahead of MPR session

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta and several other big cities witnessed a more street protests on Thursday, ahead of the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The rallies -- staged by students, activists, NGO members and political party supporters -- protested different issues, ranging from protests against the governments of the United States and Australia, President B.J. Habibie's policy on East Timor, warnings to newly elected legislators and calls for calm and no rallies during the MPR General Session, which starts on Friday.

Most of the protests -- except those taking place in front of the U.S. and the Australian embassies in Jakarta -- ended without incident.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri urged students nationwide not to take to the streets during the General Session but to trust legislators to channel their aspirations.

Megawati said she believed the new legislative members would defend people's aspirations as shown in the June 7 general election results, Antara reported.

"Any decision to be made at the General Session should not come from one party only but from all parties," Megawati said after taking part in a rehearsal of the oath-taking ceremony of the new legislators at the MPR/House of Representatives building on Thursday.

About one kilometer from the MPR/House building complex, some 40 students grouped in Youth-Student Action Committee of Indonesia (DAMAI) staged a peaceful rally on Thursday near Jakarta Hospital on Jl. Sudirman, where a University of Indonesia student was allegedly shot dead by troops last Friday.

Besides placing flowers in commemoration of Yap Yun Hap, the students demanded all parties stop mobilizing militias in an attempt to secure the General Session.

"Instead of bringing peace, the effort could lead to bloodshed among civilians," said protest coordinator Dian Ferry.

Separately, two groups rallied in front of Hotel Indonesia, where some legislators are staying during the General Session.

The first to arrive were some 50 supporters of PDI Perjuangan from the Central Jakarta chapter. During the peaceful rally, they warned the party's representatives in the MPR not to forget their main mission to ensure that Megawati becomes the next president.

The protesters also reminded legislators from the party to strictly reject any form of bribery because rumor had it that some of the legislators had been offered bribes of between Rp 7 billion (US$820,000) and Rp 10 billion each.

The second group demanded MPR members treat the East Timor issue as top during the General Session.

Attired mostly in military fatigues, the group of youngsters and mothers demanded Habibie's accountability in allowing East Timor its independence, and disregarding the soldiers who died in East Timor.

Last night, some 200 people gathered at Tugu Proklamasi monument in Central Jakarta to air concern about the two days of protests last week which claimed at least eight lives.

Some of them read poems criticizing violence committed by security personnel during the last week's protests.

In the gathering that started at 8 p.m, the group also sang songs with reform themes, while hundreds of candles illuminated the monument.

Similar protests also took place in the Central Java capital of Semarang and the North Sumatra capital of Medan, involving hundreds of students.

Earlier in the day in Jakarta, scores of university students angrily protested the States and Australia over their roles in East Timor, by hurling rocks, Molotov cocktails and other objects at the embassies.

A group of some 30 anti-America protesters threw rotten eggs and drew obscene graffiti on the cement gate posts of the American Embassy.

"Go to hell America! You are a devil in an angel's disguise.

"You play God and help our country, claim to be a human rights defender when in fact you've crushed all the nations in Eastern Europe as well the Middle East. Now you want to ruin us through East Timor and use United Nations and Interfet for it," People's Sovereignty Struggle and Nations Unity (Perkasa) chairman Zulkifli Idris Tarigan said in a statement.

Reuters reported a window of the Australian Embassy security post was broken. The students also chanted anti-Australian slogans and burned two Australia flags. (03/39/har/edt/asa/bsr)