Thousands stage anti-U.S. rally



The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several thousand members from the Muslim-based Justice Party (PK) participated on Friday afternoon in a rally here to condemn the U.S. bombardment of Afghanistan.

The demonstration was led by the party's president Hidayat Nurwahid. It was also attended by the party's executives including Salim Segaf Al Jufri, Nasir Zein, Annies Matta and Daud Rasyid.

The protesters began their rally at 1 p.m. at the National Monument park in Central Jakarta. They marched along Jl. Medan Merdeka and Jl. Thamrin to Hotel Indonesia.

During their march they stopped outside the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan to hear Hidayat's speech, condemning the strikes.

About 700 police officers guarding the embassy allowed them to continue with their rally without incident.

After making his speech from an open pick-up truck, Hidayat asked the protesters to proceed to the UN building on Jl. Thamrin. There, he insisted that the United Nations must take steps to stop the U.S.-led strikes against Afghanistan because they could not be justified for any reason.

He also required that United Nations must hold a special meeting and issue a resolution to stop all U.S. action.

Most of the rally's participants, either men or women, wore white Muslim accouterments. They carried banners reading "Stop War, Save Afghan", "Go to Hell Zionist" and yelled "Allahu Akbar" during the rally.

The march ended at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, where Hidayat again exhorted the crowd and made clear his party's official position on the strikes.

"The Justice Party demands the U.S government to stop its aggression and brutality against Afghanistan," Hidayat said before his members.

He also asked the Indonesian government to make an explicit condemnation of the U.S. strikes, while praising President Megawati Soekarnoputri's latest statement about it.

Hidayat also declared the establishment of the Indonesia Committee for Afghanistan Solidarity (KISA) a group which will be chaired by Salim. KISA, according to Hidayat, is aimed at giving assistance to Afghans, particularly refugees.

"This committee will reveal to the world that amid crisis here, we can stand up and turn our attention elsewhere," he said.

After the rally, Hidayat added that some parties of Islamic organizations had informally supported the committee's establishment, including Hasyim Muzadi from Nahdlatul Ulama and Dien Syamsuddin from Muhammadiyah.

"We're arranging to send some 1,000 paramedics to help the (Afghan) refugees," he told reporters.

When asked about Vice President Hamzah Haz's statement that anti-U.S. demonstrations should be stopped because they were destroying the government's efforts to improve the Indonesian economy, Hidayat said he did not believe that Hamzah Haz would make such a statement.

"I haven't heard about it yet. But I'm not sure that Pak Hamzah will ban such demonstrations, which are aimed at seeking justice, defending Islam, and condemning terrorism by the U.S.," said Hidayat.

"Conversely, I hope Pak Hamzah will position himself on the frontline in condemning the American actions."

He refuted the statement made by the Indonesian Intelligence Agency Chief, A.M. Hendropriyono, that the anti-U.S. demonstrators' main goal was to topple Megawati's government.

"Demonstrators, particularly from the Justice Party, have no such agenda. Those who made such accusations have no conscience and do not understand what justice is. They approve the U.S. aggression against Afghanistan," he asserted.

Meanwhile in Bogor, a group of students, who claimed to be members of the Inter-Campus Association of Moslem Students Against the U.S Attack on Afghanistan, were reported to have blackmailed a number of U.S.-related businesses, including Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's.

They demanded that each of the restaurants give them Rp 2 million so they would not vandalize the establishments, but after negotiations the group made away with only Rp 200,000.