( Peace rally in Indonesia's capita

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

( Peace rally in Indonesia's capital, protests in East Timor)


 JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Thousands of people prayed for peace Sunday at
a rally  
in Indonesia's capital, and called on the country to avoid violence as it
struggles through  
an economic crisis. 

 Meanwhile, in the territory of East Timor, pro-independence protesters
drove dozens of cars and  
motorcycles toward the governor's compound to demand he step down. They
were turned away by  
police, and no violence was reported. 

 At the Jakarta rally, Muhammad Iqbal Assegaf, a student leader of the
nation's largest  
Muslim group urged rebels in East Timor not to split Indonesia apart, and
said rival  
political parties should not resort to bloodshed. 

 "Let's try hard to stop insulting each other and to prevent all kinds of  
violence," he said. 

 In May, widespread rioting broke out in this Southeast Asian nation of 202
million  
people, leaving about 1,200 dead, and forcing longtime President Suharto to
quit. Suharto's successor and   longtime ally, President B.J. Habibie, also
has been targeted by protests. 

 The crowd of between 5,000 and 10,000 cheered and danced during speeches
and musical  
performances, but when military chief Gen. Wiranto -- one of the few
well-known public figures  
to attend the rally -- spoke, the crowd chanted, "We need more food!" 

 Wiranto called for calm. 

 "Let's try to help people suffering from the crisis with real effort," he
said.  
"Don't shout political jargon and slogans." 

 In Dili, the capital of East Timor, protesters jumped aboard more than 60
cars  
and motorcycles after celebrating Mass. The protesters carried posters of
jailed East Timor rebel leader   Jose Alexandre Xanana Gusmao, and yelled,
"We want independence!" 

 When security forces blocked the main entrance to the governor's compound,
the protesters retreated,  
vowing to return Monday to stage another demonstration. 

 In 1975, the mainly Muslim government of Indonesia sent troops into the
predominantly Catholic  
territory of East Timor, annexing it after 400 years of Portuguese colonial
rule. The territory,  
1,200 miles east of Jakarta, has endured guerrilla warfare ever since. 

 Indonesian troops have been accused of widespread human rights violations
in the territory.