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JAKARTA - Indonesians protested online and in the streets Monday against the arrest of two anti-graft officials and perceived moves to muzzle the country's once-powerful corruption watchdog.
Less than a week after it was launched, more than 400,000 people have joined a page on social networking site Facebook that aims to create a million-strong "movement" in support of the detained officials.
Meanwhile, about 300 people waving black flags and banners depicting the police as crocodiles demonstrated in central Jakarta to demand President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono protect the Corruption Eradication Commission, which is also known by its Indonesia acronym KPK.
"The police are abusing their power. The president must be more firm... the police should be investigated," 30-year-old protester Ariful said.
Senior KPK investigators Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto were arrested Thursday to stop them talking to the media over allegations they tried to abuse their power, police said.
The move fuelled public anger at the police and speculation that senior police officers and prosecutors are trying to cripple the independent corruption watchdog.
Yudhoyono, re-elected in July on the back of promises to stamp out rampant corruption in the Southeast Asian archipelago, called a rare press conference on Friday to appeal for calm and patience.
The government said Monday it had established a fact-finding team to look into the circumstances surrounding the arrests of the KPK officials.
- AFP/ir
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