Thousands rally against free trade treaty in Surabaya, Semarang
The Jakarta Post | Thu, 01/21/2010
Thousands rally against free trade treaty in Surabaya, Semarang
Thousands of workers took to the streets in Surabaya, East Java, and Semarang, Central Java, on Thursday to protest the implementation of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), Antara state news agency reported.
The protesters in Surabaya, who came from the East Java regencies of Gresik, Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Mojokerto and Jombang, staged their protest rally outside the East Java Legislative Council on Jl. Indragiri.
Sudarmadji, the coordinator of the rally, said ACFTA would pose a serious threat to workers in East Java because it would make domestic products less competitive than Chinese products that would flood domestic markets.
"The government should anticipate it because ACFTA will only make the people miserable," Sudarmadji said in front of the legislative building.
Separately in Semarang, Central Java, thousands of workers also staged a similar rally in front of the state radio station RRI office on Jl. Ahmad Yani from where they marched to the Central Java Legislative Assembly building under tight police guard.
Central Java Provincial Legislative Assembly deputy speaker Bambang Sadono came out of the building and met the protesters. He said the workers’ plea would be taken into consideration by the council and would be voiced to the central government.
"Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo will today send a letter to the central government and ask for a postponement of the free trade agreement," Bambang told the demonstrators.
