Soesilo Soedarman says situation under control

JAKARTA (JP): The government has complete control of security despite the recent spate of mob violence, Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs said yesterday.

Soesilo made the claim after a routine meeting with officials under his coordination less than a week after a major riot claimed at least 123 lives and left extensive damage in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

"It's true that violence has broken out in several areas but remember that Indonesia is a vast country, which is generally safe," Soesilo told journalists.

The government, he said, was deeply concerned about the riots' fatalities and destruction.

Most riots were triggered by clashes between Golkar and United Development Party (PPP) supporters during their street rallies.

Soesilo said he was aware that many people would laugh to hear him say the situation was "safe and under control" because he repeated it every time he came out of the conference room.

"People will doubt my statement because they know unrest has happened. My children often tease me because I use the phrase time and again," he said with a grin.

Soesilo said that some people wanted to hear that Indonesia was politically unstable and the situation was out of control.

"If there is chaos, who wants to invest in Indonesia? There are people who want to see this situation," he said.

Soesilo called on the public to be wary of people who intended to exploit race, religion and other sensitive issues to divide the nation.

Meanwhile in Surabaya, three unidentified people fire-bombed an unguarded polling station in the Petemon western suburb.

Eyewitnesses said the three people on two motorbikes threw a molotov cocktail at the polling station on a 200-square-meter vacant lot at about 10 a.m.

The lot is in a crowded residential area. Residents put out the fire before it got to nearby houses. The three people fled.

Residents said the attack was "daring" because it had occurred when people were already out and about in the residential area, where the largest alley was only two meters wide.

Military and police officers were tight lipped about the incident. Armed Forces personnel quickly cordoned off the area.

East Java military chief Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo said that 9,000 of the 53,000 polling booths across the province were "vulnerable".

The vulnerable booths, he said, were mostly in former strongholds of the Indonesian Communist Party, which was outlawed for its involvement in the 1965 coup attempt.

He said the military was making an all-out effort to guarantee safety during the election.

Rumors of imminent riots persisted throughout yesterday in Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city. Riot police were on full alert in Tunjungan Plaza, Pasar Turi, Surabaya Plaza and other business districts.

Armored vehicles were on some main streets. Many shops were closed as early as 1 p.m.

At the Teachers' Training and Education Institute's Surabaya campus, police dispersed about 100 students demonstrating their plan to boycott today's election.

The members of the Golput Students Movement displayed banners criticizing the election and the government.

A truckload of police entered the campus and dispersed the crowd. There were no immediate reports of arrests although political activities have been banned for a week before election day. Similar demonstration was held in Yogyakarta. (pan/nur/23)