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Antiwar rallies target US allies

Jakarta Post - April 4, 2003

Jakarta -- While the United States military and coalition troops moved closer to Baghdad, antiwar protests here continued on Thursday, with some targeting Arab countries which support the attack on Iraq.

At least 75 students from the splinter group of the Association of Islamic Students-MPO (HMI-MPO) rallied in front of the Kuwait Embassy on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta and the Saudi Arabian Embassy on Jl. M.T. Haryono in East Jakarta.

The protesters expressed disappointment with the countries for allowing the US and its allies to use their territory as their bases.

"Those countries must be blamed for their failure to stop the war. They are part of the war," the students said.

It was the second rally targeting the Saudi Arabian Embassy within a week. Activists from the Islamic Students Alumni Association (KAHMI) held a peaceful rally last week to protest the kingdom's collaboration with the allies in the strike on Iraq.

Antiwar protests also took place in the West Java town of Cirebon on Thursday, as some 2,500 people from several mass organizations and student groups blocked the city's main road linking Central Java, West Java and Jakarta. The rally caused heavy traffic congestion for nearly four hours.

Police rerouted motorists to the bypass road connecting Kedawung and Pegambiran and the toll road linking Palimanan and Kanci.

The protesters also picketed restaurants with names that sound American, California Fried Chicken and Texas Fried Chicken, neither of which is a franchise from the US In addition they also protested at two actual American-franchised outlets, Dunkin' Donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) despite a heavy police presence.

A fresh call for boycotts of US products was heard in the West Sumatra capital of Padang when almost 200 students of Muhammadiyah staged a rally in front of the gubernatorial office.

The largest rally of the day took place in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, where some 10,000 activists of the Student Executive Body (BEM) across the city rallied at Karebossi stadium to condemn the US incursion into Iraq.

In the East Java capital of Surabaya, hundreds of students of Surabaya National Development University (UPN) burned the US, British and Australian flags in front of the US Consulate Office on Jl. Dr. Sutomo, and also hurled rotten tomatoes and eggs at the office.

Separately, US Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce told reporters after a meeting with Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso that the wave of antiwar rallies across the country were understandable.

"We see the peaceful rallies as part of democracy," he said.