Supporters rally for Mega, Hamzah

JAKARTA: Over 1,000 supporters of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) held a rally here on Tuesday to show their support for the administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz.

They held the rally in front of PDI Perjuangan headquarters in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, tying up traffic on nearby roads.

Megawati, who is also the chairwoman for PDI Perjuangan, arrived at the party's headquarters at 11:30 a.m. to chair a weekly meeting. She also met with representatives of the rally.

"We wanted to show the chairwoman that we are ready to keep the party's leadership secure," the protesters said.

"We also want them to punish disobedient leaders and members," said Yanto Wijaya, the secretary of the PDI Perjuangan Central Jakarta branch.

Yanto said police should investigate those people who had incited demonstrations against the government and trampled on state symbols during recent protests.

Groups of people, including university students, have recently staged protests against the government decision to raise fuel and gas prices as well as electricity and telephone rates early last month. The government has since reviewed the decision. --Antara