PON opens with call to maintain national unity<\/p>\n
By Ivy Susanti and Ainur R. Sophiaan<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri opened
\nthe 15th National Games (PON) at the Delta stadium in Sidoarjo,
\nsome 20 kilometers south of here, on Monday with a strong call to
\nmaintain unity.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people, who failed to enter the 35,000-capacity
\nstadium, turned violent and threw bottles and stones into an open
\narea in the southern sector, just minutes before Megawati,
\nhusband Taufik Kiemas and their entourage entered the VVIP
\nsection.<\/p>\n
No serious injuries were reported and nobody was arrested.<\/p>\n
PON spokesman Suprawoto said the incident occurred because
\nsports enthusiasts who had bought tickets were unable to enter
\nthe stadium.<\/p>\n
\"The stadium could no longer accommodate more spectators. I
\ndon't know if there are fake tickets. We sold all the tickets
\nlast month to avoid ticket scalpers,\" he said, adding that 9,000
\nsecurity officers from the Indonesian Military (TNI), police and
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) were
\nsecuring the arena.<\/p>\n
In her speech, Megawati called on the participants to maintain
\nnational unity and sportsmanship.<\/p>\n
The national unity theme comes at a time when Indonesia faces
\ngrowing calls for disintegration, including from Maluku and Irian
\nJaya.<\/p>\n
After a long deliberation, the National Sports Council (KONI)
\nfinally allowed the Irian contingent to bear two names for their
\nprovince, Papua and Irian Jaya, during the quadrennial event
\nsince there has not been any decree to change the name.<\/p>\n
Men's karateka Buce Hukunala, a Irian native who lives in
\nJakarta, said that almost all his fellow countrymen were strong
\nsupporters of Free Papua Movement.<\/p>\n
\"All of them support 'M' (an Indonesian abbreviation for
\nMerdeka or freedom) and not 'O' (an abbreviation for autonomy),\"
\nhe said on Monday.<\/p>\n
The PON organizers ask the contingent to refer to Irian as a
\nprovince, instead of a country. \"We agreed with them to separate
\npolitic from sports,\" said an official who refused to be named.<\/p>\n
The Maluku contingent, whose province is facing a prolonged
\npolitical conflict which pits Christian against Moslem
\ninhabitants, expressed their wish for reconciliation.<\/p>\n
During the parade in the stadium, they held a banner saying
\n'Success in achievement, success in reconciliation.'<\/p>\n
Scalpers were seen outside the stadium, offering tickets to
\nonlookers and raising the price from Rp 10,000 to Rp 25,000.<\/p>\n
Second Sgt. Fajar B.P. of the Jombang Police injured his left
\nhand when a stone hit him. Seven-year-old Arin from nearby Mager
\nSari village was treated for an injury to her right temple. \"She
\nwas hit by a lemonade bottle,\" her mother explained.<\/p>\n
Spectators in the area immediately rushed away and looked for
\nseats in another section of the stadium.<\/p>\n
Two gates in the east and south sectors broke down under the
\nweight of the crowd.<\/p>",
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