960418

Jakarta rejects

polls watchdog

body's demand

to count votes

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has spoken out against an election watchdog set up last month by a group of prominent activists. "The government does not need this... We don't need this body or any other body like it," Attorney General Singgih was quoted on Thursday as saying after meeting with President Suharto on Wednesday to discuss preparations for the general elections.

He said the committee, known as the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (Kipp), would be allowed to observe the ballot casting, but its members may not check anything or enter the polling booths, the Jakarta Post reported.

All voters are free to observe the ballot casting. Kipp, however, has said it wants to count votes at polling stations around the country and tally numbers with the national count centre.

Fifty activists, lawyers and intellectuals set up Kipp in March. The organisation has received mixed responses from government and military members.-AFP