Soerjadi's camp blocked by rivals

Soerjadi's camp blocked by rivals

JAKARTA (JP): At least 60 pro-Soerjadi Indonesian Democratic
Party (PDI) members were blocked yesterday by pro-Megawati
supporters at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport from boarding
their flight to Palu, Central Sulawesi, to attend their party
congress.

The incident prompted the delegation to take refuge at the
city police headquarters.

Police sources said the pro-Soerjadi delegates arrived at the
airport at about 4 a.m. in two buses.

Twelve supporters of ousted PDI chairwoman Megawati
Soekarnoputri were awaiting their arrival at the airport's
departure terminal and later prevented them from leaving the
city, the sources said.

The delegation left the airport soon after on the same buses
without any incident. Seeing that they were being followed by the
pro-Megawati group, they ordered their drivers to take them to
police headquarters to take refuge.

Police briefly detained the Megawati supporters after they
followed the Soerjadi group into the headquarters compound on the
grounds that they planned to create a disturbance.

The Megawati supporters were released an hour later after
police cleared the matter between the two rival groups.

The two buses used by the Soerjadi delegation, which included
party secretary-general Buttu Hutapea, were still at the
headquarters as late as 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

One of the bus drivers, who asked for anonymity, told
reporters that he had driven the bus from Jl. Denpasar, South
Jakarta, to the airport, where the Megawati supporters were
already waiting for their arrival.

"They were screaming and yelling, telling us to go. The
passengers in my bus were scared, so we eventually headed back to
town. Then I was asked to bring them to the city police," he
said.

City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman confirmed
yesterday that a group of Soerjadi supporters had sought police
protection.

"As a law enforcer, I should give proper protection for
anybody who needs it. But in this case, we tried to become a
peacemaker," Noegroho said.

"We don't plan on taking any special action regarding this
issue. I hope everything goes back to normal and I urge every
party not to precipitate any fights," he added.

He said no physical clash had occurred since the police
brokered a peaceful ending to the incident.

"After the incident happened, I summoned the Megawati
supporters to clear things up. I told them that they couldn't do
such things because the Soerjadi supporters also had rights."

The buses' owner, Farida, told reporters that she was shocked
over the incident.

"They (Soerjadi supporters) were not the ones listed to use my
buses. I was told my buses were to be used by a group of
employees from PT Indocement.

"If I had known about this sooner, I would not have let the
Soerjadi supporters rent them, because it's just too risky," she
said. (edt/jun)