More food protests grip W. Java towns, military in control<\/p>\n
By M.M.I. Ahyani<\/p>\n
LOSARI, West Java (JP): More than 1,000 people, desperate in
\nthe face of dramatic price hikes, ran riot here yesterday,
\nsmashing, burning and looting shops.<\/p>\n
The angry mob broke into shops, took out the merchandise and
\nthrew it into the street and burned it. Forty-two shops were
\ndamaged and five set ablaze in the eight-hour chaos.<\/p>\n
Witnesses said they saw at least two motorcycles set on fire
\nand one truck wrecked by the mob. The prime target was property
\nof entrepreneurs of Chinese descent.<\/p>\n
The chaos disrupted traffic on the road connecting West Java's
\neastern tip with Central Java. Security authorities were forced
\nto reroute traffic through alternative roads.<\/p>\n
Tension also gripped nearby towns, including Ciledug,
\nPabuaran, Sedong, Cipeujeuh and Sindanglaut, where shops were
\nclosed. Tension also prevailed in the Cirebon regency.<\/p>\n
In Ciledug and Sindanglaut, groups of people threw stones at
\nshops along the main streets. In Cirebon, signs of unrest were
\nseen when a mob pelted the Jelita jewelry shop on Jl. Pekiringan
\nat about 8 a.m. Security forces moved swiftly before the violence
\ncould develop, witnesses said.<\/p>\n
Residents said the rioting in Losari started in the morning,
\nwhen a group of people gathered outside the Losari market
\ndemanding that prices of essential good be brought down.<\/p>\n
They complained that the level of prices was just too high.
\nStone-throwing incidents began at midday but police quickly
\nbrought the situation under control.<\/p>\n
A much larger crowd came back after people returned from
\nFriday prayers at mosques. They began to attack shops. The two
\nbank there, Bank Lippo and Panin Bank, were untouched.<\/p>\n
Abdul Cholik, a local resident, said he saw two protesters
\nfall and break their legs when they clambered onto the roof of a
\nstore.<\/p>\n
Security forces fired warning shots to disperse the crowd.<\/p>\n
Cirebon police chief Col. Sukandri said he had received a
\nreport of an incident in which a protester was shot dead in Lemah
\nAbang subdistrict. The victim was identified as Mustari, 28.<\/p>\n
He said he would also look into reports that three other
\npeople were wounded in the incident. They were Oman, 25, Atang,
\n17, and Ali, 18.<\/p>\n
Cirebon was tense last night as many stores were closed and
\nless buses were seen in the street.<\/p>\n
Factory burned<\/p>\n
Reports from Jatiwangi, about 200 kilometers east of Jakarta,
\nsaid tension remained high. A roof-tile factory was burned down.
\nShops were closed and traffic was unusually light.<\/p>\n
The riot in Jatiwangi erupted Thursday, and at least eight
\nshops were damaged, and five houses and five motorcycles were
\nburned.<\/p>\n
Police said the violence involved pedicab drivers and blue
\ncollar workers, who feel they are bearing the brunt of the
\neconomic crises.<\/p>\n
AFP reported yesterday that riot police and troops were rushed
\nto the West Java northern towns of Ciasem, Pamanukan and
\nIndramayu, where unrest also took place or was imminent.<\/p>\n
More than 1,000 people were rioting in Pamanukan late Friday
\nafternoon after rampaging throughout the day, a police officer
\ntold AFP.<\/p>\n
In Ciasem, 80 kilometers east of Jakarta, dozens of shops were
\ndestroyed and 15 cars burned, according to the report.<\/p>\n
The rioting continued in Pamanukan despite major deployments
\nof police and troops, added a police officer speaking from the
\ncity of Subang, 30 kilometers south of Pamanukan.<\/p>\n
A police officer in Bandung, Sergeant Dali Suhendra, said 200
\nMobile Brigade officers had been sent to Pamanukan, 100
\nkilometers east of Jakarta.<\/p>",
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