Police believe May riots not organized<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Police have not found any indication the massive
\nriots which hit the city in mid-May were organized, city police
\nchief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said Saturday.<\/p>\n
He said the results of the police investigation into the 16
\npeople named as agitators in the riots showed they acted
\nindependently.<\/p>\n
"They did not know each other and what they did was
\nspontaneous and not organized by certain parties," he said.<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Human Rights said on July 2 that
\nthe riots were instigated by organized groups. The fact-finding
\nteam set up by the government is currently still conducting its
\ninvestigation into the unrest. Its members consist of
\nrepresentatives of the Armed Forces, government institutions,
\nKomnas HAM and non-governmental organizations.<\/p>\n
Of the suspects, two were not detained at the city police
\nheadquarters due to guarantees from their relatives; ex-convict-
\nturned-preacher Anton Medan alias M. Ramdhan Effendy and an
\nalleged agitator in the Balaraja area in Tangerang named Ramli.<\/p>\n
The 14 detained at several city police precincts are
\nidentified as Belek, Edi Siswanto, Matsroji, Agustinus, Epon,
\nSukarman, Subur, Matsari, Teguh, Yadi, Sofyan Arief, Sofran, Iwan
\nSuprityatna and Ali Sofyan.<\/p>\n
The 16 were named as agitators in the riots based on a
\nconfession from 1,119 looters arrested by the police. Their
\nidentities were uncovered following a series of investigations
\nstarting last month.<\/p>\n
Noegroho said three of the suspects would soon be brought to
\ntrial as their dossiers had been handed over to the prosecutor's
\noffice.<\/p>\n
He explained that police were currently cross-checking the
\nwitnesses' testimonies and facts found in the Anton Medan case.<\/p>\n
Diverse testimony was provided by the witnesses in the field
\nwho claimed they saw Anton and Anton egging on the mobs, Noegroho
\nsaid without disclosing details.<\/p>\n
"Therefore, we are cross-checking with them to find out about
\nthe truth. But we named him a suspect based on sufficient grounds
\nabout his involvement in the fray," he said.<\/p>\n
Late last month, the police interrogation of Anton Medan was
\npostponed until further notice.<\/p>\n
Anton has been represented by 20 lawyers from the Indonesian
\nLegal Aid Foundation since he was named a suspect on July 10 for
\nallegedly leading mobs in the looting and burning in the Gunung
\nSahari area, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Noegroho also said the police did not find any connection
\nbetween the agitators and reports of widespread rapes of Chinese-
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
"We haven't found any evidence whatsoever which links the
\nagitators and the rape reports," he added. (edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-believe-may-riots-not-organized-1447893297",
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