Church torched, mob hits Indonesian capital

JAKARTA - Supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid, poured into the Indonesian capital last night and thousands more torched a church in his stronghold of East Java on the eve of a decisive parliamentary debate on his future.

Police searched train and bus passengers arriving in the capital from Wahid's stronghold and confiscated sickles, machetes, bamboo spears and other weapons.

A 5000-strong pro-Wahid mob torched a Protestant church in the East Java town of Pasuruan after security forces forced them away from government buildings they were trying to attack. Police fired warning shots to disperse the mobs who responded by throwing fireworks and burning tyres on the streets.

In the provincial capital of Surabaya, police also fired warning shots to disperse 3000 Wahid supporters as they tried to storm the local Parliament, witnesses said.

The violence underscores the risk of widespread bloodshed if Parliament today demands a special session of the top legislature to consider impeaching Wahid over his chaotic 19-month rule. Analysts and leading politicians consider a special session as unstoppable.

Wahid on Monday ordered his top Security Minister to enforce law and order, but so far it has only been his supporters who have been causing violence, drawing accusations he was using it as a desperate gamble to stay in power.

Police around the country are on full alert and have been ordered to take tough action against troublemakers. They have also been issued with live ammunition.

"If they try to provoke mass unrest, then we'll beat them up," the Jakarta Post quoted Jakarta police chief Inspector-General Sofyan Jacob as saying.

Underlining Wahid's mounting desperation, chief Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono revealed the President had planned to carry out his threat of declaring a state of emergency in a nationally televised address on Monday.

However, overwhelming opposition from the military and Wahid's own cabinet forced him to drop the idea and issue the security order instead, Yudhoyono told the Kompas daily.

The increasingly isolated Wahid's final card may be the threat of violence from his millions of followers.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said thousands of security personnel were securing the city ahead of the parliamentary debate which coincides with a summit of leaders from the G-15 group of developing nations just a few hundred metres from the sprawling Parliament complex.

- REUTERS