Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Millions of Indonesians went to the polls for general parliamentary elections Thursday. As Jenny Grant reports from Jakarta, balloting was marred by election-eve violence in the disputed territory of East Timor, where at least 13 people were shot dead.

Election officials and party poll-watchers repeated an election oath at 305,000 polling stations across Indonesia Thursday morning, pledging the voting would be free and secret. The wooden and metal ballot boxes were then locked, and people began to line-up at the outdoor polling places.

National Police Chief Lieutenant General Dibyo Widodo says 130,000 police were deployed throughout the country to help provide security during the election.

More than 250 people were killed in riots and traffic accidents during a violent election campaign. The streets of Jakarta were quiet and free of the usual traffic jams on Thursday, as many people took the day off from work fearing poll clashes.

But in the troubled territory of East Timor, there was a wave of pre-election violence on Wednesday. East Timor Police Chief, Colonel Yusuf Muharam says police shot and killed four people in the capital Dili, after they burnt down a number of polling booths. He said two people were shot dead in the town of Bacau, and seven more in Los Palos.

Colonel Muharam says the victims, whom he described as rebels, were opposed to integration with Indonesia and were trying to disturb the elections.

Indonesia's President Suharto, who heads the ruling Golkar Party, voted Thursday, along with his six children and their spouses, outside central Jakarta home in Jalan Cendana.

The President smiled as he cast his ballot, with eldest daughter Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, the Deputy Chairman of Golkar. Golkar which won 68 percent at the last polls five years ago is expected to clinch at least 70 percent in these elections.

There was a small scuffle as an American journalist who tried to interview the President was detained by police.

Prior to voting, the Chairman of the Muslim-backed United Development Party, Buya Ismail Metareum, told VOA he was confident his party would perform strongly in the polls.

The popularity of the Muslim P-P-P soared during the election campaign, especially with young Muslims.

"We have no target for this election, but if we see the situation I think P-P-P will have at least 23.5 percent, or 94 seats in the D-P-R (House of Representatives) because the P-P-P situation in this election is the same as the situation in the 1982 polls."

Mr. Buya says the target will only be achieved if there is no interference in the polling and counting process.

[Latest reports say 4 of the killings were in Dili, 2 in Bacau and 7 in Los Palos - JB]