Six snakes and rampage interrupt PDI rallies
KEDIRI, East Java (JP): Six snakes interrupted a rally yesterday held by the government-sanctioned faction of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and attended by its chairman, Soerjadi.
PDI Kediri branch chief Gondo Soedjito was midway through his introductory speech when the snakes were thrown onto the stage by unidentified people in the 5,000-strong audience.
It took security forces and the party's civilian guards around ten minutes to catch the poisonous weling snakes (Latin: bungarus candidus) and restore order. Nobody was bitten by the notorious indigenous snakes.
Soerjadi was seated on the stage when the snakes appeared. But his expression betrayed no fear when he started his speech shortly after order was restored.
No security officers tried to catch the culprits.
It was only the second town in East Java that Soerjadi had visited since going to Jember on May 4.
Hundreds of people yelled in support of the party's ousted leader Megawati Soekarnoputri just five minutes after Soerjadi began his speech.
"Long live Megawati, long live democracy," they chanted. They then marched out of the venue, the Katang soccer field. When Soerjadi ended his 30-minute speech, only about 50 people remained.
Kediri, about 150 kilometers south of the East Java capital of Surabaya, is a stronghold of Megawati supporters.
Soerjadi said the incident was provoked by "people who wanted to disrupt the general election. They try to undermine our party, but they will not discourage us."
Gondo said the disturbance was unexpected. "I thought those people were eager to meet the party's chairman. I did not know they intended to cause a disturbance," he said.
Elsewhere in Surabaya, police arrested three people wearing T- shirts bearing pictures of Megawati on Jl. Walikota Mustajab. The police also found firecrackers and five bottles of gasoline near the rally venue.
Riot
A riot marred the PDI's rally in Jayapura, Irian Jaya, seriously injuring at least four people. Antara reported that police fired warning shots to stop thousands who rampaged after a pregnant woman fell and hemorrhaged at the rally.
A civilian guard at the rally said a rumor that the woman had been hit by a bullet caused the violence to escalate.
The mob threw stones at several buildings in the Skyline district on their way to the province capital.
At least 4,000 people had been at the rally in the Trikora field, Abepura district.
PDI campaigning in Jakarta proceeded as quietly as in earlier rounds. The party held indoor rallies in 13 subdistricts across the city.
Police and soldiers, armed with automatic weapons, guarded the rally venues.
The rallies were incident free, despite the circulation of leaflets with pictures of Megawati and the Moslem-based United Development Party's (PPP) chairman, Ismail Hasan Metareum, at the venues. Some people also bore flags with the PPP's five-pointed star on a red background, which symbolizes the alliance between Megawati and Ismail.
PDI campaigner Loekman Mokoginta addressed about 100 youths and students at an indoor rally in Semarang. Loekman focussed on improving the bureaucracy and poverty alleviation.
"A total war against all forms of corruption and collusion should be initiated nationwide for a clean government and bureaucracy which serves the public," Loekman said. (nur/01/amd/har)