American citizens leave Riau as anti-U.S. protests mount

Most of American citizens working for PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia (CPI) in Riau have left the province?s capital Pekanbaru for Batam island as anti-U.S. sentiment grew following the attacks launched by U.S. led forces against a number of targets in Afghanistan, Media Indonesia reported on Friday.

A Lion Airline airplane, which serves the Pekanbaru-Batam route, has been chartered to carry out the American citizens to Bata island, which is part of Riau province, but far away from Pekanbaru.

Caltex?s public relations manager Poedyo Oetomo, however, denied that the company had chartered the aircraft to evacuate the American citizens. He , however, acknowledged that the larger part of the Americans working for Caltex had left for Batam or Singapore.

?But it was not an evacuation but for medical checkups,? he said.

Anti-American protests are mounting in major parts of country after the U.S. led forces attacked targets within Afghanistan.

The protesters mostly coming from Moslem organizations have demanded the Indonesian government to severe relations with the U.S. if the attacks continued and killed civilians. Some more radical members of the protesters have also threatened to launch a massive ?sweeping? operation against Americans in the country. (*)