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Protesters take to streets as Habibie fights for position

Indonesian security forces block thousands of student protesters near the parliament building in Jakarta yesterday, shortly before they clashed as President B.J. Habibie was about to deliver a speech inside. PHOTO: REUTERS

Security forces yesterday fired tear gas and warning shots at thousands of students who threw rocks and Molotov cocktails outside parliament, where beleaguered President B.J. Habibie delivered a key speech to legislators who will soon choose Indonesia's next head of state.

Habibie, who is fighting for his political life, said he had tried his best to fix massive social, political and economic problems in Indonesia since he took office 16 months ago.

He said he had been confronted with a "gigantic task" and he blamed Indonesia's plight on past authoritarian leaders. He pledged to push for more democratic reforms and defended his handling of the recently closed corruption case against his former boss, ex-President Suharto, as well as the mayhem in East Timor.

"As a human being I realize that the whole crisis ... cannot be fixed in only 521 days," Habibie said in his 53-page, nationally televised speech.

Habibie arrived by motorcade through the back gate of the green-domed legislature after police had carved a safe route through Jakarta's streets.

He was greeted with polite applause by lawmakers as he walked into its chamber.

Hours before, the students got within 500 meters of the parliament, but were repelled repeatedly by riot police and soldiers, who also used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

At least five protesters were hospitalized with serious injuries.

Amien Rais, a prominent opposition figure and newly-elected chairman of the legislature, called for calm from atop a minibus and invited 100 students into the chamber to listen to Habibie's speech.

"You have weapons and we only have rocks. Shoot us if you dare," the other students shouted at security forces outside.

Thousands of police and sol-diers lined up between the 10,000 students and the legislature's gate and prevented them from rushing toward the building. However, even after many rounds of tear gas had been fired, the students continued to throw rocks and gasoline bombs.

In a separate demonstration, about 1,000 riot police scuffled with hundreds of students who tried to march on the president's private home in another part of Jakarta. One student was injured in the violence, witnesses said.

Many chanted slogans criticizing Habibie and demanded that his government reopen a corruption investigation against ex-President Suharto that was dropped this week without charging him.

As the protests were under way, an Indonesian court found Suharto's youngest son, Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, 37, innocent of two corruption charges involving a shady land deal.

In a third protest at the main traffic circle in Jakarta earlier in the day, protesters screamed that they would launch a revolution if Habibie defeats Megawati Sukarnoputri in the assembly's Oct. 20 presidential election.
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