Children hurt as parties clash in Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): With campaign season nearing to a close,
\nclashes between supporters of rival parties and other acts of
\nviolence continued to prevail on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
A fresh brawl involving hundreds of supporters of Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) flared up in Yogyakarta, leaving six
\npeople, including two children, injured and two cars seriously
\ndamaged.<\/p>\n
To add insult to injury, a truckload of PDI Perjuangan
\ntraditional artists plunged into a ravine in Jonggrangan village
\nin Kulonprogo regency, west of here, on its way home from a
\nrally. The accident killed one and seriously wounded four others.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said the clash broke out when a PDI Perjuangan
\nmotorcade was blocked by hundreds of PPP supporters on Jl. Wachid
\nHasyim in Kauman area, long touted as a PPP stronghold, following
\nrumors that the PDI Perjuangan activists removed PPP banners and
\nattributes during their crosstown rally.<\/p>\n
The mob attacked a car belonging to Ngadiran, 40, of Sewon
\ndistrict in Bantul, who participated in the convoy along with his
\nseven-year-old son Danang and four-year-old daughter Dita. The
\nthree were injured by falling shards of glass from the car
\nwindows.<\/p>\n
PPP supporters also stabbed Dike Nugroho and his relative
\nTyas Purbo Nugroho, who were driving home to Bantul from
\nSemarang. The two youths claimed they were not PDI Perjuangan
\nsupporters but decorated their car with the party attributes for
\nsafety reasons.<\/p>\n
Another PDI Perjuangan activist, Poncol, suffered stab wounds
\nto his left arm in a separate clash against PPP rivals in
\nJlagran, a northern part of the sultanate town.<\/p>\n
Except Poncol, all the victims were admitted to Bethesda
\nHospital but were discharged later in the day.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of police and military troops were deployed to
\nrestore order. They fired at least three warning shots to
\ndisperse the warring groups.<\/p>\n
The situation remained tense in the evening, with security
\npersonnel guarding Kauman in anticipation of a possible vendetta
\nof PDI Perjuangan supporters.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta Police deputy chief Col. Erwin MAP presided over a
\npeace agreement between the conflicting parties in a Kauman
\nmosque hours after the clash, the third to involve them in the
\npast three months. The previous clashes killed two PDI Perjuangan
\nsupporters.<\/p>\n
Some 125 kilometers away to the north, a PDI Perjuangan
\nactivist, Cahyo Waji, was shot in his left foot by an
\nunidentified person during a motorcade on Jl. Siranda in
\nSemarang, the capital of Central Java. The 22-year-old man was
\nrushed to Telogorejo Hospital, but discharged later in the day
\nafter receiving medical treatment.<\/p>\n
Local police confirmed afterwards Cahyo was not wounded by
\npolice nor military weapons. The police are investigating the
\nshooting, the first ever to happen in the town.<\/p>\n
Blood marred the party's last campaign in Semarang as another
\nparty supporter, Winarno, 37, fell to his death from a truck
\nduring a parade on Jl. Sriwijaya and an unidentified woman was
\nhit by a car joining a motorcade on Jl. Mataram. She was admitted
\nto Panti Wiloso Hospital.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Monday evening, nine people, including two
\npolicemen, were injured in a clash between PPP supporters and
\ntheir National Mandate Party (PAN) rivals in Kadrenan village in
\nKlaten, also in Central Java.<\/p>\n
Head of PPP's Klaten office, Sutopo, said Tuesday the melee
\nerupted when masses of the two rival parties met on their way
\nhome from campaign rallies. Exchange of mudslinging turned into a
\nwar of stones, according to Sutopo.<\/p>\n
Police were summoned to the scene to intervene, but two of
\nthem were struck with flying stones. However, no serious injuries
\nwere reported.<\/p>\n
Sutopo said the two groups had made peace.<\/p>\n
There were more reports of violence, including that targeting
\nelection monitoring volunteers. (44\/23\/har)<\/p>",
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