Water cannons dispersed thousands of protesters who stormed the gates of Indonesia's parliament and demanded sweeping constitutional reforms, including the right of voters to elect the president directly and an end to the military's official role in politics. It was the third straight day of demonstrations in front of the heavily guarded parliament where the country's supreme legislature is holding its annual two-week meeting. About 7,000 people, mostly students, demanded the 700-member body introduce direct presidential elections and eliminate a block of 38 seats reserved for representatives of the security forces. There were no injuries or arrests, and the demonstration ended peacefully.
Even though they didn't proceed peacefully... |