Anti-American rallies held at Vico?s, Unocal?s fields in E. Kalimantan

Hundreds of protesters have rallied at oil field of PT Vico Indonesia and Unocal Indonesia Company in East Kalimantan to protest U.S.-led military invasion to Iraq, local daily Kaltim Post reported Monday.

On Saturday, around 500 people demonstrated at Vico?s project in Kutai Kartanegara regency yelling anti-American slogans and demanding the Indonesian government to break off diplomatic relations with the United States.

In their meeting with representatives of the protesters, Vico?s public relations officer Husin said that they were also against the Iraqi war. ?Vico has prepared clothes and foodstuffs in Jakarta for Iraq?s war victims,? he told them.

Meanwhile, on Friday a group of demonstrators from student and youth organizations marched to Unocal?s project in Balikpapan to vent their anger over the U.S.-led invasion to Iraq.

Unocal officials said that they had not made any decision to evacuate its foreign workers in response to the U.S. government?s warning about possible attack against U.S. citizens and American assets in Indonesia.

However, Unocal Balikpapan?s government relations manager Satria Djaya said that the expatriates might leave East Kalimantan if the situation caused by the Iraqi war deteriorated.

Satria said that security at Unocal?s projects had been increased.

Vico is partly owned by Anglo-American energy giant BP Plc, while Unocal Indonesia Company is owned by U.S. Unocal Corporation. (*)