Police fire to quell election violence

Jakarta - Indonesian riot police fired warning shots to quell violence in and outside the capital yesterday, the last official…

Jakarta - Indonesian riot police fired warning shots to quell violence in and outside the capital yesterday, the last official day of campaigning for next week's election.

Police fired blanks in Jakarta as protesters set fire to flags of the ruling Golkar party and began hurling stones at vehicles in a procession of party supporters. Near the central Java town of Pekalongan, riot police fired warning shots as members of two rival parties clashed.

It was a rare sign of serious unrest during three weeks of often rowdy campaigning for next Monday's parliamentary election, Indonesia's first truly democratic poll in 44 years.