Local govt criticized for rioting in Nabire<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto blamed the Paniai
\nadministration yesterday for the recent rioting that saw
\nthousands of job seekers take to the streets in the Irian Jaya
\nregency.<\/p>\n
"The administration wasn't well prepared, and it should have
\ncommunicated more (with the local people)," Minister of
\nAdministrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi quoted the President as
\nsaying yesterday.<\/p>\n
The President was commenting on the July 2 and 3 rioting of
\n3,000 disgruntled locals who were meant to apply for civil
\nservice jobs in the town of Nabire, Paniai. At least three
\nsecurity officers injured.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the press after meeting with Soeharto at his
\nJakarta residence on Jl. Cendana, Silalahi explained that the
\ngovernment has decided to recruit 2,000 Irianese for civil
\nservice positions, all to be posted at home. Paniai is to be
\ngiven 200 job openings.<\/p>\n
"Rumors then spread among the job seekers that it was useless
\nfor them to take the job screening test because the authorities
\nhad determined who would get the jobs," he was quoted by Antara
\nas saying. "This is what caused the rioting."<\/p>\n
"There must have been people who instigated the youths to
\nriot. They wouldn't have set the local prison on fire and let
\nprisoners loose if they had only been worried about not getting
\njobs," he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier reports said that the masses in Paniai began rioting
\nwhen they heard rumors that 95 percent of the job openings
\navailable for Paniai residents had already been filled. They
\nvandalized the regency government's office, set fire to the
\nlegislative council buildings, the town's prison and a market.<\/p>\n
Nearly 100 office buildings, shops, homes and vehicles were
\ndestroyed by the mob, while some 60 prisoners escaped from
\nprisons as the rioting occurred, though they were recaptured or
\nturned themselves in later. The rioting caused estimated losses
\nof Rp 1.4 billion (US$595,700).<\/p>\n
Security forces foiled the rioters' attempt to torch an oil
\nwarehouse belonging to state-owned oil company Pertamina and the
\nNabire airport facilities. Troops were called in after the police
\nwere overwhelmed.<\/p>\n
The riot was the fourth to have rocked Irian Jaya this year,
\nthough no arrests were made. In March, nine people were killed in
\nseparate violent street protests in Timika, Tembagapura and
\nAbepura.<\/p>\n
Silalahi expressed regrets over the local administration's
\npoor handling of the situation. He said that the President also
\ncalled on the Irianese to welcome the government's goodwill
\ngesture to provide more jobs for the local people.<\/p>\n
"The job openings were given because there were indeed
\nopportunities for the Irianese there," he said. "In the past,
\nmany civil service positions, such as teachers, were filled by
\nnewcomers from other regions."<\/p>\n
Many of the newcomers, Silalahi said, later abandoned their
\nposts or demanded that they be sent to other areas. "If the jobs
\nwere given to Irianese people, there wouldn't be any such
\nproblem," he said. "They would have loved working in their own
\nregion."<\/p>\n
He called on Irianese youths not to compare development in
\ntheir region with development in other areas such as East Timor.<\/p>\n
"The government gives equal opportunity and attention to all
\nregions to develop and grow maximally," he said. (swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/local-govt-criticized-for-rioting-in-nabire-1447893297",
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