Farouk Arnaz – Sounding like revolutionaries from another era, the People's Movement Against Neocolonialism and Imperialism, or Gerak Lawan, claimed on Thursday that it would mobilize as many as 10,000 workers today, May 1, which is celebrated in most countries as Labor Day.

The day is not a public holiday in Indonesia, a fact that has angered labor unions and activists. Employers argue that the country has enough holidays already, especially because it recognizes the religious celebrations of five of the largest faiths in the country.

The protesters' spokesman, Gunawan, said that the group planned to march from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the Presidential Palace complex to demand better wages and working conditions.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira said that the police had issued a permit for the protest, but that they also appealed to the demonstrators to "obey the rules." "We will deploy our personnel to secure this action so it can be done peacefully," Abubakar said.

The radical alliance has said that it would also be protesting this month against the Asian Development Bank's annual meeting, being held in Bali from Saturday through Tuesday, and at the World Ocean Conference, from May 11 to 15 in Manado, North Sulawesi Province.

Gunawan said that both events were attempts to bring "neocolonialism" to the country. Gerak Lawan is comprised of several labor and farming groups opposed to globalization, but it is unclear how many members the alliance has.

In 2006, a Labor Day demonstration turned violent in Jakarta when 12 police officers were injured by rocks and 14 protesters were arrested.