Manggarai residents promise to keep peace<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two quarreling groups of residents in Manggarai
\nsubdistrict, South Jakarta, pledged on Sunday to stop their
\nprolonged feud which claimed three lives last year.<\/p>\n
Witnessed by Tebet district head Rama Parjawinata and Tebet
\nPolice chief Maj. Asli Manau, the residents issued a joint
\n\"peace-deal\" statement in a gathering at the Manggarai Selatan
\nsoccer field.<\/p>\n
\"We agree to avoid personal and group interests which have so
\nfar ignited the brawls,\" said the statement, which was read in
\nturn by Choki and Ujang, two youths from the two groups.<\/p>\n
Choki said that, in the future, the two groups would first
\ndiscuss problems amongst themselves before going to the police.<\/p>\n
The groups then exchanged white flags, symbolizing the
\nestablishment of the peace agreement, and continued by cutting a
\nrice cone in the ceremony, attended by at least 300 residents
\nfrom both groups.<\/p>\n
Lulus Sucipto, one of those present, said the meeting was
\norganized by youths of the two groups who have long been involved
\nin bloody clashes.<\/p>\n
\"The meeting was not orchestrated by the district officials or
\nby the police. It was on our own initiatives,\" Lulus said.<\/p>\n
He said both groups expected that there would not be any more
\nclashes in the future.<\/p>\n
\" The participants of the meeting are youths who were involved
\nin the earlier clashes. That's why I'm sure that there will be no
\nbrawls here anymore,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The residents in the two neighboring units, RW 02 and RW 10,
\nwere involved in a brawl on Sept. 2 which killed one resident,
\ninjured four others and destroyed four buildings.<\/p>\n
Like previous brawls in the area, the cause of last month's
\nremains unclear.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso has called upon the residents to end the
\ndispute and has donated to them two soccer balls and a guitar, in
\nthe hope that they will take part in activities together.<\/p>\n
The residents, especially the youths, have repeatedly broken
\ntheir earlier promises and again become involved in brawls.<\/p>\n
Prior to the brawl last month, the residents agreed to put a
\nstop to the dispute by slaughtering a goat, but the brawls
\nreoccurred.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, at least one house and two kiosks were burned down
\nduring a brawl between residents of Jl. Pal Meriam and Kampung
\nBerlan, Matraman, East Jakarta on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
No fatalities were reported in the brawl which started at 1
\na.m.<\/p>\n
Residents of Kampung Berlan reportedly attacked Pal Meriam
\nresidents without any clear reason. The latter then retaliated by
\nthrowing rocks and Molotov cocktails, witnesses said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The brawl is believed to have occurred following a fatal
\nstabbing of a student from Kampung Berlan in another brawl a few
\ndays ago.<\/p>\n
Like Manggarai residents, residents from Berlan and Pal Meriam
\nhave been frequently involved in brawls. (jun)<\/p>",
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