Riot police used tear gas, warning shots and water cannons to disperse hundreds of anti-US Muslim protesters outside Parliament yesterday.
It was the most violent in a series of almost daily demonstrations against the US-led air strikes against Afghanistan and erupted a day after the president of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, said military force should not be used to fight terrorism.
PHOTO: AP
Witnesses said officers hit some demonstrators with batons after ordering about 500 members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front to end a rally outside the legislature. Some protesters threw rocks in retaliation.
Privately owned Metro TV reported that one of its cameramen was beaten by police. Witnesses said officers also assaulted at least two news photographers. Police smashed cars and motorbikes belonging to demonstrators, along with their public address equipment.
Police said 10 people had been injured and 20 arrested.
"I apologize for the excesses of our men," said Jakarta police spokesman Colonel Anton Bachrul Alam.
Yesterday was a public holiday in Indonesia where it is illegal to hold street protests on public holidays.
Some in the crowd held up posters of US President George W. Bush that read: "Wanted by the Islamic people for murder."
Hundreds of police guarded the legislature's compound, which was protected by razor wire. During the weekend, police arrested 27 members of the same group on charges of possessing knives and swords.
Later yesterday, about 150 officers in riot gear converged on the Jakarta office of the front, which has also threatened to round up and expel westerners.
Senior police said they wanted to hold talks with front leaders to ensure violence did not occur again. About 50 front members, armed with sticks, stood guard at the building in what appeared be a standoff.
Organizers of yesterday's protest said they wanted President Megawati Sukarnoputri to condemn the bombing campaign.
Megawati had been one of the first foreign leaders to sign up for the US-led coalition against terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Her government has tried hard to foster strong ties with Washington in a bid to rebuild it crisis-ridden economy. So far her government has only said it was "concerned" about the attacks and called for restraint.
However, in a speech on Sunday, Megawati signaled that her stance might be hardening.
Although she did not directly criticize the US or its allies, she said, "No individual, group or government has the right to look for terrorists by attacking another country's territory."
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS