Rallies continue for Indonesian president in East Java

The rally, held in the town of Jember, was a far cry from numerous violent protests by Wahid's supporters in recent days, who have attacked, looted and razed opposition party offices and reportedly terrorised their members. More than 650 security personnel were on standby Tuesday morning as the protestors held a prayer rally outside the Jember city hall and then marched through the town, said duty police office Supriadi.

The rally was organized by the country's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (N.U.), which was founded by Wahid's grandfather and is the president's main political supporter. Police said the crowd reached 25,000, but many officers are also N.U. members and have frequently inflated numbers. Other reports said the crowd was no more than 10,000 people.

Wahid was censured by parliament on February 1, prompting a violent backlash by his supporters in East Java, who attacked at least 10 offices of the ex-ruling Golkar party. Police announced on Monday that 11 people were detained in connection with the attacks. The Jakarta Post reported Tuesday that pro-Wahid mobs physically coerced local politicians and government officials in East Java, the president's home province, into signing petitions rejecting parliament's censure and calling for Golkar to be banned.

Wahid has three months to respond to the censure - the first step in a lengthy five-month impeachment process. Legislators, analysts and even a presidential advisory body have recommended that Wahid cede control of the government to Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri or declare himself "nonactive" while he addressed the corruption allegations.

He would, however, remain the head of state. Wahid, who has denied any wrongdoing, rejected the recommendation, a presidential spokesman said. Meanwhile, around 100 anti-Wahid protestors rallied in Carawang, West Java on Tuesday, as the president was attending a harvest ceremony there, police said.

(la/dpa)