U.S. says Indonesia used excessive force

U.S. says Indonesia used excessive force

WASHINGTON (Agencies): The United States on Wednesday said Indonesian security forces has used excessive force against unarmed demonstrators and urged the government to bring those responsible to justice quickly.

State Department spokesman James Rubin said the "terrible violence" that marked protests on Nov. 13-14 "clearly involved excessive use of force by security forces against unarmed demonstrators," Reuters reported.

Jakarta has said it would fully probe the situation and "we urge the Indonesian government to carry out this investigation expeditiously and to bring to justice those responsible for the killings and other abuses," he said in a written statement.

At least 30 people have been killed in protests and riots in the past two weeks in some of the worst violence in the capital since May, when at least 1,200 died.

Rubin noted that large political demonstrations in Jakarta over the last few days have proceeded peacefully and he urged all facets of Indonesian society to maintain restraint.

As the country moves through a difficult reform period toward "true democracy, we expect the Indonesian government to respect fully the rights of Indonesian citizens to freedom of speech and assembly," he said.

"We urge students and the public to keep their demonstrations peaceful and the security forces to refrain from violence so that there is no repetition of the events of Nov. 13-14," he added.

In Canberra, Australian Defense Minister John Moore also urged Indonesian troops to show restraint when dealing with protesters calling for greater democracy.

"We look to them to exercise restraint at all times, but we understand they have to keep law and order," Moore said before embarking on a visit to Indonesia on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Australian government on Wednesday renewed its warning to its citizens to consider deferring non-essential travel to Jakarta in view of violent demonstrations and instances of looting in the Indonesian capital and other cities in recent weeks.

"Demonstrations are expected to continue and there is a possibility that these could become the trigger for acts of lawlessness and possible loss of life," it said in a travel advisory, a copy of which was made available to the press.

The advisory noted that Bali, a popular destination for Australian tourists, appeared to be unaffected. "Bali remains calm and services for tourists are operating normally."