Five demonstrations to colour to Jakarta’s streets this weekend

Tempo Interactive – December 8, 2007
Indonesian Forum for the Environment rally at HI traffic circle (Antara)
Indonesian Forum for the Environment rally at HI traffic circle (Antara)

Munawwaroh, Jakarta – As many as five different protest actions will colour Jakarta’s streets over the weekend. “People should keep away from protest points in order to avoid traffic jams,” said First Brigadier Witardi, a Traffic Management Center (TMC) official at the Metro Jaya Regional Police Traffic Directorate.

At around 10am local time, three actions will take place at three different points in the capital. The Indonesian Farmers Alliance (API) will hold a action in front of the State Palace and the Public Gallery on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta. Around 200 people are expected to attend the action.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) will also be mobilising some 300 members at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout. They will be opposing a beach reclamation project and supporting the restoration of mangrove forests on Jakarta’s northern beaches to overcome floods in the capital city.

A smaller action involving only a score or so of demonstrators will be held by Falun Gong Indonesia in front of the Chinese Embassy.

Later in the afternoon at around 1pm, protesters from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) and the Solidarity Committee for Munir (KASUM) will hold an action at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout. They will hold a carnival to the Jakarta city hall, the Supreme Court, the State Palace and the Department of Defense. The action to commemorate a decade of human rights violations in Jakarta will be joined by around 500 people.

Around the same time, a group calling itself the Active Without Violence Movement (GATK) will also hold a carnival to commemorate World Human Rights Day. The carnival will start at the Indonesian Press Council Building, then go on to the Jakarta city hall, the Horse Statue and end at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout. Around 150 people will take part in the carnival.

Members of the Greater Jakarta Betawi Brotherhood Foundation (FBR) meanwhile will be demonstrating in front of the CBD Ciledug offices in Tangerang. Around 1,000 FBR members will be demanding the right to manage a parking lot in the CBD Ciledug area.

[Translated by James Balowski.]