Feuding Manggarai residents given three unpleasant choices<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso offered rival resident groups
\nin Manggarai, South Jakarta, three unpleasant alternatives on
\nMonday unless they immediately settle their long-standing dispute
\npeacefully.<\/p>\n
Should they fail to end their continuous brawls, they all
\nwould be evicted from the neighborhood and either be driven back
\nto their respective hometowns or required to take part in the
\ngovernment-sponsored transmigration scheme.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said the last option was that members of the families
\nwould be given the opportunity to take part in the renovation
\nprojects of the densely populated area, which would probably be
\ndeveloped into low-cost apartments.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media after installing Abdul Mufti as the new
\nSouth Jakarta mayor to replace Pardjoko, Sutiyoso, however, did
\nnot elaborate on the alternatives, which are likely to give the
\nresidents no option of continuing to live in their current
\ncircumstances.<\/p>\n
He only said that he had authorized the newly installed Mayor
\nAbdul Mufti to propose the offers.<\/p>\n
\"The mayor and the other officials have already started the
\nwork. I hope this time it works,\" the governor said.<\/p>\n
The longstanding brawls between residents groups in one of the
\ncity's slum areas have become common scenes to locals and
\nauthorities.<\/p>\n
The clashes are usually sparked by small problem, such as
\nreports of one group mocking or attacking a rival group.<\/p>\n
In August, two separate brawls occurred in Bukit Duri and
\nManggarai, leaving one man injured and seven buildings
\nvandalized.<\/p>\n
The first fight took place for no clear reason and the second
\none was sparked by a report that a member of one group had been
\nbeaten up.<\/p>\n
Those involved in the second brawl were reportedly armed with
\nair rifles, rocks and crossbows. No residents were detained or
\nquestioned after the incident.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 9, the house of a policewoman in the Manggarai area
\nwas set ablaze during a brawl.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 27, a 41-year-old passerby was shot dead by an air
\nrifle bullet during a clash near the Manggarai railroad. The
\nheavy fighting prompted at least 150 households to temporarily
\nabandon their homes and seek refuge from the violence elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The local administration claimed that attempts to broker
\nreconciliation between the brawling parties had been initiated
\nrepeatedly but all had failed.<\/p>\n
The latest effort to introduce a cease-fire was held on Sunday
\nat the state-owned SDN 05 Bukit Duri elementary school on Jl.
\nPeruk Bukit Duri Puteran.<\/p>\n
About 500 residents from Manggarai, South Manggarai and Bukit
\nDuri subdistricts attended the ceremony, where representatives
\nfrom the three subdistricts signed a declaration to stop fighting
\nand to jointly tighten security in the area.<\/p>\n
They also agreed to be liable to be punished if the deal
\ncollapsed. (ivy)<\/p>",
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