Six killed, 8 injured in latest riots<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): At least six people were killed and eight others
\ninjured, five by gun fire, and seven churches were torched in the
\nlatest riots sparked by clashes between rival ethnic and
\nreligious groups on Jl. KH. Zainul Arifin in the Ketapang area,
\nWest Jakarta, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Five of the dead victims were identified as Jakartans of
\nAmbonese descent, while the injured included two soldiers --
\nCentral Jakarta military district commander Lt. Col. S. Widodo
\nand one of his guards.<\/p>\n
Truckloads of troops, armored personnel carriers, fire trucks
\nand ambulances rushed to the scene around Gajah Mada Plaza, but
\nfailed to control the riots from spreading to other areas in the
\ndowntown area until late in the evening.<\/p>\n
The bloody strife was triggered by a brawl between local
\nresidents and civilian guards, mostly of Ambonese descent, of a
\ngames hall -- which residents alleged was a gambling den -- near
\na mosque in the Ketapang area.<\/p>\n
The brawl could have been settled amicably by the intervention
\nof local community leaders and security personnel on Saturday
\nnight.<\/p>\n
But rumors claiming that the mosque was set on fire by an
\nAmbonese gang later made the local residents angry, their fury
\nlater exploding into ethnic and religious riots on Sunday,
\nJakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen Djadja Suparman told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
\"Upon hearing that a mosque had been attacked, at 7 a.m. on
\nSunday people from Tanah Abang, Petamburan and Jembatan Besi
\nimmediately came here to show their solidarity. They later
\nmarched to the Ketapang 11 amusement center and burned down the
\nfacility at about 9 a.m.,\" Lukman, a local community leader,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Faced by the heavy military presence, the mobs went on a
\nrampage in areas far from the site, pelting stones at buildings,
\nincluding churches, they passed by.<\/p>\n
Rioting flared up on Jl. Gajah Mada, Jl. Hasyim Ashari, Jl.
\nSukarjo Wiryopranoto and Jl. KH. Samanhudi, where six other
\nchurches and three banks and one hotel were damaged,\" city police
\nspokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said.<\/p>\n
Quoting data compiled by city police headquarters as of 8 p.m.
\nlast night, Aritonang said two rooms of Santa Ursula school near
\nthe Catholic Cathedral in Central Jakarta were gutted and several
\nclassrooms were damaged.<\/p>\n
Thirteen vehicles, including 11 cars, were burned, while six
\nothers, including five cars, were damaged, according to
\nAritonang.<\/p>\n
The seven torched churches include Kristus Jemaat Ketapang and
\nPantekosta on Jl. KH. Zainul Arifin, Santapan Rohani on Jl.
\nSamanhudi and Kristus Raja on Jl. Hasyim Ashari.<\/p>\n
The six damaged churches include PNIL and Yesus Sejati on Jl.
\nKH Samanhudi and GKPI on Jl. Kartini Raya.<\/p>\n
At about 5:10 p.m. soldiers and police officers managed to
\ndrive away the masses gathered in front of Gajah Mada Plaza.
\nAbout 60 Ambonese security guards were evacuated by military
\ntrucks from the area to the city military command.<\/p>\n
A mob of hundreds then marched in the direction of the
\ncathedral and tried to torch the Catholic church, but their path
\nwas blocked and they were dispersed by soldiers stationed there.
\nThe mobs then ransacked the nearby Ursula school building.<\/p>\n
Another mob numbering between 400 and 500 people marched along
\nJl. KH Samanhudi later in the afternoon, destroying churches and
\npassing vehicles.<\/p>\n
The soldiers stationed there were apparently outnumbered by
\nthe masses, many of them coming from the Gajah Mada area where
\nthe riots started.<\/p>\n
When the mobs were about to enter Jl. Gunung Sahari, however,
\nthey were blocked by local residents, who had assembled along the
\nroad and were standing guard with members of the marines.<\/p>\n
The downtown area remained under heavy security Sunday night
\nand no new clashes or riots were reported.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur, chairman of the
\nNahdatul Ulama Moslem organization, and Megawati Soekarnoputri,
\nchairperson of the popular faction of the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty, separately issued statements Sunday night condemning the
\nriots and calling on people to remain calm.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur and Megawati noted that the riots once again testified
\nto how a gang of thugs could easily be used by certain parties
\nwith vested interests to cause massive riots.
\n(ind\/ivy\/emf\/edt\/afs)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/six-killed-8-injured-in-latest-riots-1447893297",
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