Youth group to boycott elections

SURABAYA: Dozens of people grouped under the banner of the Indonesian Youth Struggle Front (FPPI) rallied on Thursday to support a poll boycott, saying the political parties contesting the 2004 elections were more concerned about their own interests rather than the public's.

Hidayah, the chairman of FPPI Surabaya, said a boycott was one way of undermining the legitimacy of the election.

During the peaceful rally, the youths unfurled banners and held up posters. They marched from the Bambu Runcing Monument on Jl. Sudirman to Jl. Gubernur Surya, located in front of the gubernatorial offices.

Despite heavy rain, the march then proceeded to the city hall on Jl. Pemuda, where police were standing by. The youths dispersed peacefully after a number of speeches were delivered. --JP