Angry mobs attacks reform-minded tycoon's house<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Oil tycoon Arifin Panigoro was shocked and
\nsurprised when a group of 100 angry people attacked his residence
\nin South Jakarta on Friday.<\/p>\n
The mob, claiming to be members of the People Saver Front,
\npelted stones at the businessman's luxury property on Jl.
\nJenggala, leaving windows of the house and Arifin's two cars,
\nincluding a Mercedes-Benz sedan, smashed.<\/p>\n
Arifin, owner of the widely diversified Medco Group which
\nincludes the country's biggest oil and gas company Medco Energi
\nCorporation, was at the house when the early afternoon incident
\noccurred.<\/p>\n
\"I have to admit that I was frightened. But it's not because
\nof my (ruined) cars,\" Arifin told a media conference at the site
\na few hours after the sudden attack.<\/p>\n
\"There must be someone who incited these people,\" he added,
\ngiving no further explanation.<\/p>\n
According to his secretary, Mutazar, the house is normally
\nempty as Arifin, his wife Raisis and their two children spend
\nmost of their time at the family's other residence in Cilandak,
\nalso in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Mutazar said Raisis and the children were not at the Jenggala
\nhouse during the attack.<\/p>\n
Arifin said the attackers arrived in front of his house at
\n1:10 p.m. in four packed Kopaja minivans.<\/p>\n
Carrying banners, some of the vandals started to yell and
\nthrow stones at Arifin's house and cars, he recalled.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the banners read things like 'Hang Arifin' and
\n'Arifin, traitor of the country',\" said the tycoon, who claimed
\nto have financially assisted the food distribution for the
\nthousands of students who staged massive antigovernment rallies
\nhere in May.<\/p>\n
Demands<\/p>\n
About one and a half hours later the startled businessman
\ndecided to invite representatives of the protesters inside his
\nhouse for talks.<\/p>\n
The group sent three people, later identified as Slamet Riady,
\nMuslim Ardi and Arifin, all from Warakas, North Jakarta, to talk
\nwith the host.<\/p>\n
\"During the brief meeting, there was no dialog. They just
\nwanted to convey their demands: that I stop financing the student
\ndemonstrations and the publication of anti-(President) B.J.
\nHabibie circulars,\" Arifin said.<\/p>\n
The businessman, who is also chairman of the Indonesian
\nEngineers Association (PII) for the 1994\/1999 period, denied his
\nalleged role in the publishing and distribution of such anti-
\nHabibie materials.<\/p>\n
\"I had nothing to do with it at all,\" he told the media.<\/p>\n
Arifin admitted that he, together with some of his colleagues,
\ndonated a total of 30,000 meal boxes per day to the protesting
\nstudents and Forkot (City Forum) activists during the massive May
\nantigovernment rallies.<\/p>\n
\"It's just the way we showed our care (for the students and
\nactivists),\" he said without naming the other donators.<\/p>\n
According to a police intelligence officer who followed the
\nangry mob from the Al-Azhar mosque, one of the attackers snatched
\na wristwatch from student Andri of SMA Al-Azhar high school
\nshortly before they headed to Arifin's residence.<\/p>\n
\"I thought these men were heading to the House of
\nRepresentatives (DPR) building for a rally,\" said the officer,
\nwho asked for anonymity.<\/p>\n
Arifin became known as one of the country's leading government
\ncritics after he was questioned by the police in connection with
\nan alleged conspiracy to disrupt national stability following his
\nattendance at a discussion at the Radisson Hotel in Yogyakarta on
\nFeb. 5.<\/p>\n
Arifin, along with dozens of other leading critics, jointly
\nestablished the Majelis Amanah Rakyat (Council for People's
\nMandate), which strongly demanded then president Soeharto resign
\na week before he stepped down on May 21. (emf\/bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/angry-mobs-attacks-reform-minded-tycoons-house-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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