Rumors of more unrest rock West Java<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Rumors of further religious and ethnic unrest
\nrocked Bandung and several West Java towns yesterday.<\/p>\n
Violence did erupt in the industrial area of Rancaekek near
\nBandung when thousands of striking workers wrecked dozens of
\nvehicles within their factory compound, officials said.<\/p>\n
Police said the workers were angered by the company's failure
\nto pay their Idul Fitri holiday allowance on time. The management
\nhad promised to give the money on Feb. 6, just three days before
\nthe holiday.<\/p>\n
According to a manpower minister decree, companies are
\nsupposed to pay Idul Fitri bonuses two weeks before the
\ncelebration.<\/p>\n
Rumors of major unrest swept Bandung, Cianjur, Ujungberung,
\nCicadas and Padalarang, after leaflets inciting people to attack
\nChinese and Christian properties were circulated.<\/p>\n
The rumors prompted Bandung shopping centers on Jl.
\nCihampelas, Jl. Otto Iskandar Dinata, Jl. Kepatihan and Jl. Ahmad
\nYani to close.<\/p>\n
A Bandung resident working for a travel bureau on Jl. Ahmad
\nYani told The Jakarta Post that she first heard the rumors at
\n10:30 a.m. yesterday.<\/p>\n
"All shops on Jl. Ahmad Yani closed immediately on hearing the
\nrumors. We also closed our office then," she said.<\/p>\n
The rumors also affected the Bandung town square. The city
\nauthorities alerted the riot police, who deployed in the area
\nwith two armored vehicles.<\/p>\n
There was no official comment on the rumors. A public affairs
\nofficial at the Siliwangi Regional Military Command only said
\nthat there had been no instruction to close the shops or schools.<\/p>\n
"It was done on their own initiative," he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, life in Rengasdengklok, the scene of Thursday's
\nriot, returned to normal yesterday. Town market businesses opened
\nas usual and shops and schools were also open.<\/p>\n
The chief of the Siliwangi Regional Military Command, which
\noversees West Java, Maj. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi, said in nearby
\nKarawang yesterday that the authorities have released 115 of the
\n126 rioters arrested Thursday and declared the remaining 11 to be
\nsuspects.<\/p>\n
Chief of the Karawang District Police Lt. Col. Harry Montolalu
\nsaid all of the 11 suspects were residents of the Karawang
\nregency.<\/p>\n
When asked about the whereabouts of Go Wie, who allegedly
\ntriggered the riot, and her husband Kim Sin Cian, he said they
\nwere in police custody. "They are also suspects in the rioting,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Tayo called on West Java residents to be wary of provocative
\nstatements and actions instigated by irresponsible people or
\nparties.<\/p>\n
Seventy-six houses and 72 shops were destroyed in the
\nRengasdengklok unrest, while 19 cars were damaged and eight other
\nvehicles were burned.<\/p>\n
The rioters damaged three churches and burned another. Two
\nBuddhist monasteries were also damaged and burned in the
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
Security officers imposed a 9 p.m. night curfew on the
\nsubdistrict Thursday to prevent further disturbances.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Buddhist Council (Walubi) expressed
\ngrave concern in Jakarta yesterday over the violence. It said in
\na statement that the riot had disrupted public order, endangered
\nthe peaceful coexistence of people from different faiths and
\ncould lead to national disintegration.<\/p>\n
"May God give the victims strength and the perpetrators love.
\nAs Buddha teaches us, hatred will never end if we fight it with
\nhatred," said the statement signed by the council's acting chief
\nOka Diputhera.<\/p>\n
The council called on Buddhists to keep calm. It praised the
\nauthorities for taking prompt action to quell the riot.<\/p>\n
Oka Diputhera told the Post that damage to the two wrecked
\nBuddhist temples exceeded Rp 1 billion (US$420,000).<\/p>\n
Another part of the country that witnessed tension yesterday
\nwas Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan, where city bus
\ndrivers protested a new traffic ruling they considered unfair.
\nThe protesters pelted traffic offices with a variety of objects.<\/p>\n
Shops and banks closed for security reasons, eyewitnesses
\nsaid. During the protests, 18 people sporting menacing black and
\nwhite headdresses followed the drivers, heightening the tension.<\/p>\n
Government and military officials were not available for
\ncomment.<\/p>\n
This followed Wednesday's incident when a group of 30 to 40
\npeople whose faces were covered with the same black and white
\nheaddresses attacked a Catholic foundation in the nearby Siantan
\nTengah subdistrict.<\/p>\n
In the attack two motorcycles and a truck were burned, three
\noffices damaged and two women residents living nearby injured.
\nThey are reported to be "improving" at Santo Antonius Hospital.
\n(ahy\/imn\/01\/pan)<\/p>\n
Measures -- Page 2<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rumors-of-more-unrest-rock-west-java-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }