Villagers run amok over cash assistance<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
When it was reported that the head of their subdistrict was
\nunavailable to meet with them, some 500 residents of several
\nvillages in Tangerang, Banten ran amok, pelting his office with
\nrocks.<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses told The Jakarta Post that some 300 residents of
\nWaru, Kelapa and Pangkat villages, all in Tangerang, congregated
\nat around 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the Jayanti subdistrict office.
\nAround one hour later, some 200 people from Karya and Serada
\nvillages arrived at the office.<\/p>\n
They claimed that as poor people they were entitled to receive
\nthe Rp 100,000 (US$10) monthly assistance from the government.<\/p>\n
To offset the effects of the Oct. 1 fuel price increases, the
\ngovernment has devised a scheme under which people in the low-
\nincome bracket are eligible for cash assistance.<\/p>\n
\"The villagers wanted to see the subdistrict head to ask why
\nthey were not included in the data on poor residents in their
\nrespective villages,\" Sukwan, who lives near the subdistrict
\noffice, told the Post.<\/p>\n
The villagers, however, became agitated after they were told
\nthat subdistrict head Suhabuddin was not in his office. They
\nshouted and hurled rocks and sticks at the office, shattering its
\nglass windows.<\/p>\n
The villagers decided to call it quits only after dozens of
\npolice officers arrived at the office.<\/p>\n
Sain, a local neighborhood unit head, said that they were not
\ninvolved in a survey to collect data on poor residents from Aug.
\n15 to Sept. 15.<\/p>\n
\"Only one in 100 poor residents in my neighborhood unit
\nreceived a fuel compensation card,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mariah, a resident of Pangkat village, said that
\nmost low-income residents in her village did not receive cards.<\/p>\n
\"Relatives of village heads, community unit chiefs and
\nneighborhood unit chiefs received cards although they are not
\npoor,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The incident took place just hours after residents of Kemuning
\nand Tamiang villages in Kresek district and Gintung village in
\nSukadiri district ran amok on Monday evening over not receiving
\nthe financial assistance.<\/p>\n
The angry residents threw hard objects at their respective
\nvillage offices, pulled down signboards and damaged gates and
\nfences.<\/p>\n
Iskandar Ismail, secretary of Sukadiri district admitted that
\nhe had received complaints from many residents over the
\ndisbursement of the cash assistance in the area.<\/p>\n
\"The Sukadiri district chief along with two representatives of
\nGintung village has submitted additional data on poor residents
\nto the regental statistics office in Tigaraksa,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of residents of Klutuk and Kedaung villages in Kronjo
\ndistrict also damaged subdistrict offices on Monday morning in
\nprotest over the \"unjust\" disbursement process.<\/p>\n
Separately, Kronjo district head Kusnadi said on Tuesday that
\n240 low-income residents in Klutuk village had received the
\nassistance. He said, however, the figure was only half of the
\ntotal poor residents in the village.<\/p>",
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