Thousands Demand Independence Vote

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Indonesia’s war-torn Aceh province demanding an independence referendum, even after organizers canceled the protest fearing threats of violence by security forces. Clashes in the previous four days left 21 people dead, most of them shot by security forces, and Indonesia’s reformist president blamed the army and police. As armored vehicles stood guard, a convoy of hundreds of vehicles drove through Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, honking horns and carrying banners calling for a U.N.-supervised plebiscite for the region.