Wahid supporters attack govt office in East Java

Wahid supporters attack govt office in East Java
REUTERS

FEB 13: Some 5,000 supporters of embattled Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid attacked a government office in volatile East Java on Monday, the latest in a wave of political violence rocking the nation's stability.

Witnesses said protesters threw rocks at the local government office in Tuban town, 700 km east of Jakarta. They also destroyed traditional handicrafts and flower pots arrayed in the compound.

They had earlier protested at the local legislature building in support of Wahid, who faces his gravest test after parliament censured him 10 days ago over two financial scandals.

The crowd were planning to pray for Wahid at a nearby park, witnesses said.

"We are trying to prevent any violence, we are trying to block the protesters from the Golkar office," Suwardi, a local police official told Reuters, referring to a rival political party that has borne the brunt of recent pro-Wahid protests.

In Jakarta, some 1,000 pro-Wahid high-school students clad in their uniforms protested in front of parliament against moves to overthrow the President. The flag-waving students said they would march through the city's streets to the presidential palace, around five km (three miles) away.