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Indonesian anti-war protests getting rowdier

Jakarta Post - March 24, 2003

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Tertiani ZB Simanjutak, Jakarta -- The wave of antiwar rallies continued on Sunday with thousands of protesters taking to the streets across the country to express their opposition to the ongoing US-led invasion of Iraq.

In Jakarta, close to 2,000 protesters took turns staging peaceful rallies in front of the tightly-guarded United States Embassy on Jl. Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta.

The US is leading coalition forces invading Iraq, ostensibly to get rid of the country's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

The first protest started at around 10 a.m. and involved some 200 students belonging to various organizations. Carrying posters that among other things read: "Bush is a war criminal", "Stop the invasion", and "No more war", the students demanded an immediate halt to the one-sided attack on Iraq.

"We urge the international tribunal to bring Bush, Blair, and Howard to court as terrorists and war criminals," said one of the protesters from a makeshift stage set up on a pick-up truck, while failing to specify what exact international tribunal he had in mind.

The protester was referring to US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Australian Prime Minister Howard. The three countries make up the main military forces participating in the invasion, which has drawn worldwide condemnation.

During the protest, some protesters burned US flags and threw eggs at the embassy, which was guarded by some 400 policemen. The protesters dispersed peacefully.

Later in the day, some 1,000 protesters, organized by a coalition of some 40 organizations, including Christian and Buddhist groups, also rallied in front of the mission.

The protest ended after about three hours with the burning of an effigy of Bush and the reading of a joint statement demanding an immediate end to the invasion of Iraq.

"We call for the war to be immediately halted," a protester read out from a prepared statement.

The protesters also urged President Megawati Soekarnoputri to cut diplomatic ties with Washington.

On Sunday afternoon, some 200 members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), a small hard-line group, staged a protest against the war outside the embassy.

The FPI, which has resumed its operations after having claimed to have suspended them several months ago, said they would send volunteers to help Iraq during the war.

"It is better to send any other Imam Samudras that there might be to Iraq for a jihad than threaten our internal security," said FPI chairman Habib Rizieq, referring to the alleged mastermind of last year's Bali terrorist attacks that killed at least 202 people and injured over 350 others, mostly foreigners.

The FPI claims it has started recruiting volunteers to wage a jihad, or holy war, against the US and its allies in Iraq. Around 200 FPI supporters signed up on Sunday, the first day of a one-week recruitment drive.

FPI secretary-general Ahmad Shabri Lubis claimed that thousands of supporters across the country had signed up on Sunday. The FPI hoped to send them in three weeks' time.

"There will be some physical and psychological training, but if necessary those who already have passports can leave immediately," he told reporters.

"Apprehending foreigners and US citizens is no longer on our agenda. But jihad is. We are confronting an unjust war, not the people, because we don't want to end up in the hands of the police force," he added.

In the Central Java town of Pekalongan, more than 2,000 school students held a rally in the town's main square to pray for the people of Iraq, and for peace, Agence France Presse reported.

"They burned flags, American and British, I think, but there were no incidents," said a policeman.

An antiwar protest was also staged by about 150 people from the Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) in front of the US consulate general in Denpasar, Bali.

In Surabaya, East Java, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization, set up a post to collect humanitarian aid for Iraqi refugees.

NU East Java deputy secretary Romadlon Sukardi said on Sunday that his group would coordinate with the Indonesian Red Cross to transport the humanitarian aid to Iraq.

The Muslim group also urged the US to stop the military attack on Iraq and bring the case to the United Nations.

There were no reports of the terrorist attacks that were predicted by Australia over the weekend. Malls and shopping centers opened as usual on Sunday.