Semblance of calm returns to Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): An uneasy calm returned to the capital on Sunday after three tense days blackened by bloodshed, arson and looting.

Jakarta was unusually quiet as most residents chose to stay indoors, but the presence of troops in major commercial centers -- scene of mass lootings and burning on Saturday -- and armored vehicles on the roads ringing the Presidential Palace was a reminder of continuing tension.

"It's better for us to stay at home and watch television instead of being shot by the brutal police and soldiers," housewife Darwati said.

Most shops and entertainment centers in Jakarta and surrounding areas of Tangerang and Bekasi were closed.

Few motorists ventured onto the streets.

The overcast day was more notable for the arrest of several public figures for questioning in connection with suspected acts of subversion.

Few could pinpoint for a fact what had brought about the shift in mood from the mayhem of just hours before and the anger directed against the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) from last Tuesday to Friday.

Many attributed the calm to the influence of the students, who decided to temporarily leave the streets on Saturday midnight.

Others claimed it was caused by President B.J. Habibie's order on Saturday to Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto to take firm action against anybody intending to bring down his government.

Major roads, crowded with students and the public on Saturday, were deserted.

Shops usually open for brisk business over the weekend were closed in Jatinegara, Glodok, Senen, Pecenongan and Pasar Baru.

All was quiet in Jatinegara except for dozens of police and military troops on guard in the area.

A day earlier, thousands of people flocked near the site, pelting stones and bricks at the East Jakarta police precinct headquarters.

Nani, a housewife from Pondok Bambu, canceled her trip to the Mester market in the Jatinegara area after seeing groups of people hanging around in the streets.

"I'm afraid there will be a riot. It's more silence in the streets," said Nani, who was accompanied by her husband.

Owners of shops and automotive showrooms along Jl. Matraman, Jl. Kramat Raya, Jl. Gunung Sahari, Jl. Gajah Mada, Jl. Hayam Wuruk, also kept their businesses closed.

Mal Atrium and Planet Senen shopping centers remained closed after hundreds of people stoned and tried to loot shops in the complexes on Saturday. Marines had intervened to prevent widespread looting.

All toll roads crossing the city were open in the afternoon and only a few streets in the capital remained blockaded, but traffic was light.

Streets still off-limits to the public included Jl. Gatot Subroto in front of the MPR/House of Representatives (DPR) building and roads heading to the Presidential Palace and National Monument Park.

Only a few public buses and minivans hit the streets, leading to a long wait for hundreds of people brave enough to go out, including those in Slipi, West Jakarta.

Patrols

Many neighborhoods stepped up citizen patrols, reminiscent of the days following the mid-May riots.

Violence unfolded in the city beginning on Thursday when student protesters clashed with heavily armed troops at the Semanggi cloverleaf leading to the MPR. A high school student and a police officer died.

The friction erupted in unprecedented bloodshed in the capital on Friday, the last day of the MPR session, when police and soldiers opened fire on a sea of thousands of students and members of the public at the Semanggi cloverleaf.

Clashes were also recorded in other parts of the city. On Saturday, people vented their anger toward the police and military by burning vehicles and shops and looting.

As of Sunday, at least 15 fatalities were recorded.

Religious organizations called on the people to remain calm and vigilant against provocative acts, but many mass organizations issued statements calling for President B.J. Habibie and Gen. Wiranto to take responsibility for the violence by resigning.

Many residents and property owners flew the national flag at half-staff in a spontaneous show of mourning for those who died.

Banners expressing condolences for Friday's bloody incident were also hung from buildings.

The unrest led many prospective newlyweds to cancel their plans.

"We received hundreds of announcements of wedding cancellations," Wimpie, a staff member of he Sonora radio station, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday night.

Hundreds of other callers wanted radio stations such as Ramako to air notification of the temporary closure of schools and offices.

In Tangerang, most shops and shopping centers on Jl. Kisamaun, Jl. Merdeka, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Jl. Serpong Raya and at the Anyar market were closed. Many automated teller machines of several banks, including BCA, a target during the May riots, were locked or inoperable.

A few business centers opened -- particularly in South Jakarta such as the Pasaraya Department Store, Pasar Minggu shopping center, Plaza Blok M and Pasaraya Manggarai shopping center -- although the number of visitors was fewer than on usual Sundays.

At Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, an information staff member said all flights ran on schedule on Sunday.

City Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. DJ. Nachrowi recommended that people report suspicious events to security officers or call the toll free number 122. (bsr/jun/41/)