Students threaten to occupy Caltex
Antara, Pekanbaru
More than 500 students from several universities and academies in Pekanbaru threatened to occupy the office of American oil company PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia (CPI) in Rumbai, near the city, unless the company condemned the United States' military strikes against Afghanistan.
The students, who have set up camp outside the CPI office in Rumbai, reiterated on Thursday that they would expel American citizens in the province and occupy the office if the company failed to condemn American action in Afghanistan.
"We are firm in our demand that CPI must condemn the military strikes. We are waiting for the company's response to our demand," Antara news agency quoted a student as saying on Thursday.
The students, who forced their way near the CPI office on Wednesday morning, gave a deadline of 48 hours for the company to meet their demand. They warned that they would occupy the office and expel American citizens in the province if the company did not meet their demand.
The operation site, including the office and housing areas, have been kept closed to the public in anticipation of a reaction to the U.S. military strikes.
The protesters were denied access to the office hall and hundreds of anti-riot police were deployed to tighten security around the company's operation site.
The protesters also demanded that the government sever diplomatic ties with the United States and alliance nations immediately and nationalize all American assets in Indonesia, including Caltex.
Besides Caltex's ultimatum to condemn the American strikes, it was also ordered to stop exporting oil to the United States and alliance nations.
"If the ultimatum is not met, we will not be accountable for the safety of American citizens in the province," another student threatened.
Poedyo Oetomo, CPI's communications and media relations manager, said that the company's management was consulting with regard to the students' demands and ultimatum.
He declined, however, to mention who the company was consulting with.
"We still have time to respond to the students' demand and, therefore, be patient," he said.