Beleaguered President’s supporters on rampage
Thousands of fanatical followers of embattled Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid rampaged for a second day, burning and attacking two churches and buildings belonging to his political rivals.
The violence in two regions flared on the eve of a crucial parliamentary meeting that is almost certain to demand that the head of state be impeached for corruption and incompetence.
Police fired warning shots to disperse angry mobs in two trouble spots in Wahid’s home province of East Java, where he is revered as an Islamic holy man.
Petrol bombs were hurled at the home of an opposition party official in Bandar Lumpung, on the southern tip of Sumatra island.
In the capital Jakarta, 2,000 pro-Wahid protesters, many armed with sticks and knives, rallied in front of the state palace and threatened to attack the national legislature if it did not drop its impeachment drive.
Wahid warned that his overthrow could trigger national disintegration and ordered a law and order crackdown. However, he has failed to condemn the mayhem that has been launched in his name.
