Riots, looting paralyze Jakarta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The capital looked like a war zone yesterday as
\nthousands of people damaged and burned hundreds of buildings and
\nvehicles and looted the contents of the destroyed properties.<\/p>\n
At least two civilians and three soldiers were killed in
\nclashes between rioters and the security forces. Many more,
\nincluding a press photographer, were injured by bullets.<\/p>\n
Police said 200 people were arrested during the riots, which
\ntotally paralyzed the city. Almost all normal activities,
\nincluding wedding ceremonies, were hastily halted. Employees and
\nstudents were ordered home.<\/p>\n
Heavy black smoke covered the Jakarta sky as hundreds of
\nshopping centers, automobile showrooms, state and private banks,
\ndiscotheques, hotels, bookshops, offices, cars and motorcycles
\nwere set ablaze at dozens of different locations in and around
\nthe capital, Tangerang and Bekasi.<\/p>\n
At least four police stations in Bintaro, Pondok Aren in
\nTangerang, Cikini in Central Jakarta, and Matraman in East
\nJakarta were set on fire. Two police vehicles were also burned.<\/p>\n
Tanks and armored vehicles were seen moving around the
\nNational Monument park near the Presidential Office in Central
\nJakarta. Streets to the rear of the neighboring Presidential
\nPalace were closed.<\/p>\n
Four armored vehicles stood guard in front of the state radio
\nstation RRI on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat.<\/p>\n
\"It doesn't look like Jakarta anymore,\" commented a scared
\nemployee.<\/p>\n
Some toll roads were also invaded by the rioters.<\/p>\n
Asep, an unemployed resident of Cimone in Tangerang, said: \"It
\nseems to me that the mobs were possessed with the devil's
\nspirit.\"<\/p>\n
A number of cruel rioters also attacked a maternity hospital
\non Jl. Merdeka Raya in Tangerang, 30 kilometers west of here,
\nforcing panicking mothers to run in fear with their newborn
\nbabies.<\/p>\n
\"What is wrong with us?\" screamed a tearful nurse after
\nevacuating the patients.<\/p>\n
On the streets throughout Jakarta and surrounding areas,
\njoyful people, including housewives and teenagers in school
\nuniform, were seen carrying off the spoils of looting sprees.<\/p>\n
\"I feel guilty with all this stuff which isn't mine but I have
\nto take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because
\nof the economic crisis,\" Yanto said as he sat beside a brand new
\ncomputer and 20-inch television set which he looted from Harco
\nMangga Dua electronic shopping center on Jl. Mangga Dua in North
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
A teenager in Bintaro, South Jakarta, with his arms bleeding,
\ntried to sell wristwatches looted from the local Hero supermarket
\nto another youngster to cover his medical expenses. His arms were
\ninjured by glass when he broke the supermarket's windows.<\/p>\n
In several spots, the mobs invited spectators to take items
\nfrom burning or damaged buildings, but warned them not to take
\nthe spoils home. Instead, they asked them to set burn the looted
\ngoods in front of their eyes.<\/p>\n
On Jl. Matraman Raya an angry mob took cash from a BCA bank
\nthen set fire to it at the scene.<\/p>\n
\"Money is the people's property, too. So, burn it here,\"
\nyelled a voice from the crowd.<\/p>\n
Nearby mobs also burned cameras and films seized from a Fuji
\nImage Plaza.<\/p>\n
Looking at the bizarre scene, some press photographers
\nscreamed: \"Don't burn the films! We'll buy them.\"<\/p>\n
Generally, security forces were helpless in the face of
\nyesterday's situation. In some places they were outnumbered.<\/p>\n
\"We're totally helpless and outnumbered,\" a senior officer at
\nthe riot-torn Harco Mangga Dua shopping center told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Nearby, hundreds of people carrying a wide range of electronic
\ngoods filed out of a shopping complex in Glodok. Some looters
\njeered at the helpless security forces.<\/p>\n
Malioboro discotheque on nearby Jl. Gadjah Mada was set on
\nfire as the mob screamed \"Burn! Burn!\" and \"Immoral! Immoral!\"<\/p>\n
On Jl. Hayam Wuruk, the mob did not touch the Bank Bali
\nautomatic teller machine after staff at the branch threw Rp
\n10,000, Rp 20,000 and Rp 50,000 notes into the crowd.<\/p>\n
Another gang of rioters broke into a nearby Dunkin Donuts
\noutlet, stole doughnuts and shared them with onlookers.<\/p>\n
\"Free meal, brothers,\" one of them said.<\/p>\n
The riots in Glodok and Mangga Dua began at around 8 a.m.
\nWitnesses said the few proprietors who had opened for the day ran
\naway as the mobs approached.<\/p>\n
\"When I came here at eight o'clock, looting had already
\nstarted. At first I just watched, but I joined in when I saw
\nsecurity forces were doing nothing to stop them,\" recalled Yanto.<\/p>\n
On Jl. Gunung Sahari in Central Jakarta, 10 new Volvo cars
\nwere badly damaged in a showroom.<\/p>\n
\"We were planning to move the cars to Lodan in North Jakarta
\nbut the streets were already closed,\" Eko, a member of staff,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Among banks vandalized and looted by mobs were branches of
\nBCA, BII, BNI, Lippobank, Bank Bira and Bank Danamon.<\/p>\n
Hotels damaged included the Radisson Hotel, Hotel Pecenongan
\nand Hotel Golden. Supermarkets including Ramayana, Hero, Permata
\nHijau supermarket, Bintaro Plaza and Golden Truly were also
\ndamaged to varying degrees. The Goro wholesaler in Pasar Minggu,
\nSouth Jakarta, was also damaged by looters.<\/p>\n
Motorists struggled to find open gasoline stations. Most had
\nclosed for the day.<\/p>\n
In Bekasi, riots started when frustrated commuters failed to
\nget buses heading for Jakarta.<\/p>\n
With their hands full of loot, the mobs repeatedly yelled
\n\"Long Live Economic Reforms\".<\/p>\n
The first civilian fatality of the day, Arief Ansari, 25, who
\nworked in car accessories kiosk on Jl. Matraman in Central
\nJakarta, was shot in the waist by police.<\/p>\n
\"He was sitting right next to me when he suddenly screamed,\"
\nrecalled his friend Unang.<\/p>\n
The second victim, Andri Priyono, 18, was shot in the chest
\nduring a clash with police, also on Jl. Matraman. He was a
\nstudent at SMA Diponegoro in Rawamangun, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I can't believe this,\" his father, Omaiding, said.<\/p>\n
Two of the dead soldiers were privates while the other was
\nidentified as Capt. Siagian from the Cengkareng military unit.
\nThe latter died after being pelted with stones, witnesses said.<\/p>\n
At about 4 p.m, hundreds of people marched on Jakarta Police
\nHeadquarters. They demanded a meeting with Jakarta Police chief
\nMaj. Gen. Hamami Nata.<\/p>\n
Police opened fire and shot tear gas to disperse the rioters
\nafter they began to throw stones.<\/p>\n
In Tangerang, thousands of people looted shops in Lippo
\nsupermal in Karawaci, taking electronic goods and groceries.<\/p>\n
\"Mobs began looting at around 2 p.m. By the evening things
\nwere quieter,\" a local resident said, adding that there was no
\nsecurity presence during the incident.<\/p>\n
At least 10 others shops and some hotels and restaurants in
\nthe town center were looted and set ablaze. At least 12 cars and
\n13 motorcycles passing through the area were stopped and burned
\nby the rioters.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's disorder forced businessmen and residents to paint
\nsigns on their properties proclaiming Moslem or indigenous
\nownership.<\/p>\n
The McDonald's restaurant in the Sarinah building on Jl.
\nThamrin in the center of the city stuck placards on the window
\nwhich said: \"Indigenous owned\".<\/p>\n
Many exclusive houses, shops and businesses in the city
\ndisplayed similar notices and laid Moslem prayer mats at their
\ngates.<\/p>\n
Many hotels, including the 1,200-room five-star Hilton Hotel
\nat the Semanggi cloverleaf, were fully booked.<\/p>\n
A receptionist at the nearby Hotel Mulya said that people had
\npacked into the five-star hotel \"because they felt unsafe in
\ntheir homes.\" (team)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/riots-looting-paralyze-jakarta-1447893297",
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