Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Anti-American groups yesterday threatened to take 20,000 demonstrators to the streets of the central Javanese town of Solo today, calling for an end to US intervention.

Mr Yanny Rusmanto, commander of the Laskar Hizbollah, told The Straits Times he had thousands of supporters who would march to the Agung Mosque. Last Sunday, his group allegedly conducted a sweep of hotels in Solo in search of American citizens claiming, that the US had interfered in Indonesian affairs, and accusing it of being hypocritical for supporting Israel while it attacked Palestine.

But Mr Yanny denied that his group had conducted the sweeps, and said today's demonstration would be peaceful. "If we meet American we will make a political statement and ask them, "Do you agree with the policy of your government'?" he said.

"The biggest problem is their economic intervention. There is no justice. The IMF wants to include human rights issues and makes problems over human rights while it violates human rights."

He also said "contacts" had told him that the US was trying to interfere in Maluku, adding that a US warship which passed through Maluku waters recently on its way to East Timor had supplied weapons to the Christian militias in Ambon.

Although the ship had not stopped in Ambon and was passing through international sea lanes, an Indonesian naval official accused the Americans of spying in Ambon.

Like many other small Islamic groups, Laskar Hizbollah appears to be more concerned with nationalism than with religion or with economic reform. "We should try to exist without the US. Iraq exists without the US, and it is no problem. What is more important is our dignity," he said.