Semblance of calm returns to Jakarta

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/)