Mob vandalizes Makassar court building, attacks staffer<\/p>\n
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): At least 150 people ran amok on
\nMonday, vandalizing the provincial State Administrative Court
\n(PTUN) building here, and attacking a member of staff.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses said the office employees, including judges
\nrushed out for safety upon seeing an arriving gang of people
\nbrandishing both blunt and sharp weapons.<\/p>\n
"The action lasted for about an hour," Hamka Djarot, a lawyer
\nwho witnessed the incident, said.<\/p>\n
Another witness, Nur Gamma, said he saw female employees
\nscatter, screaming for help as the angry people entered the
\nbuilding.<\/p>\n
Hamka said he did not see policemen on the scene and that,
\napparently, made the attackers more violent. "They smashed the
\nwindows, damaged doors and office equipment, and set fire to a
\ntable in the court."<\/p>\n
The mob, who claimed to be residents of Panaikang, dispersed
\nafter one of them cut a court staffer, Agussalim, in the neck
\nwith a sharp weapon.<\/p>\n
The court officials assumed that the attack related to a land
\ndispute between the residents and PT Garmak Motor, a private
\nautomotive company linked to Probosutedjo, a half-brother of
\nformer president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
According to the deputy secretary of the Makassar State
\nAdministrative Court, Sehat Bage, the Panaikang residents might
\nhave been upset as they had appealed to the State Administrative
\nHigh Court over the case and were turned down.<\/p>\n
"If the attack did relate to the dispute, they should have not
\ncaused such anarchy. They have the opportunity to counter the
\ncourt verdict. What they did is a crime, and we will ask law
\nenforcers to take legal steps to deal with this," Sehat said.<\/p>\n
Sehat said he had called for the police's help as soon as the
\nassault began. "Policemen were late and that was what happened."<\/p>\n
Police officers who arrived at the scene said they believed
\nsome of the attackers were thugs. (27\/sur)<\/p>",
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