Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Police fired warning shots as around 500 former employees of state aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and university students were about to stage a protest against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on his visit to the company on Tuesday.
A police officer fired four shots soon after a truck-loaded with Air Force personnel attempted to disperse the protesters, who were marching toward the company's compound on Jl. Padjadjaran at about 9.30 a.m.
The warning shots were not an effective deterrence, however, as the demonstrators forced their way through a security cordon of around 200 police officers and Air Force soldiers. Minor scuffles occurred, but no injuries were reported.
Violence has never previously marked protests by the former PT DI employees, who have many times protested in Jakarta following their dismissal in July 2003.
There was no explanation from security authorities in Bandung about the decision to fire warning shots. According to standard operating procedures, warning shots should only be fired when a crowd begins to attack.
Susilo is currently under tight protection by presidential details after National Intelligence Body (BIN) head Syamsir Siregar revealed reports of possible plots to assassinate or kidnap a number of state officials.
The plots were allegedly linked to terrorist groups under Malaysian fugitive Noordin M. Top, which have apparently changed their strategy from suicide bombings to assassinations or abductions, following the death of master bombmaker Azahari bin Husin in November.
The terrorists are said to be members of Jamaah Islamiyah, which has been responsible for a series of bomb attacks in the country since 2000.
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said he expected the public would understand that tighter security measures would probably prevent the President from making direct contact with the people.
Arief Minardi, former PT DI labor union leader, complained about the extra security measures. "It's too much. We haven't even entered the compound and did not do anything wrong, but they used trucks and bullets to disperse us," he said.
The protesters, he added, wanted to ask the President to help them obtain fair compensation for their dismissal. Arief said that he had asked Andi to allow the former PT DI employees to convey their complaints directly to the President, but to no avail.
Some 1,000 former PT DI employees rejected compensation offered by the company because they considered it inadequate. They were part of a total of 9,600 employees who were dismissed in 2003 as the cash-strapped company was struggling to survive.