Workers rally at district court

JAKARTA: Worker unions of two companies held different demonstrations inside the Central Jakarta District Court, disturbing the hearings conducted in the court here on Monday.

The first demonstration was staged by the workers' union of state-owned electricity company PT PLN at 11 a.m. Dozens of people carried banners and walked to the third floor of the court building, where the session was held.

The protesters demanded the court cancel an agreement over electricity transactions between PT PLN and PT Paiton Energy.

They accused PT Paiton of marking up the price of electricity supplies to some US$700 million, which had badly affected the country's economy.

Not long after the first protest ended at about 1 p.m., another group of people staged a protest by conducting a speech inside the court.

The second group claimed to be from the workers' union of Bank Panin, who demanded the court suspend the trial of the Cirebon branch bank employees Imam Sutrisno and Tata Zoelkarnaen.

Both defendants were tried for defamation against their supervisor in Bank Panin Jakarta Akijat Lukito. -- JP