21 detained for C. Java rioting
JAKARTA (JP): Police in the Central Java regency of Rembang have detained 21 people for damaging and looting food shops last week.
Rembang police chief Lt. Col. MI Soekamto said yesterday that the suspects came from different places in the coastal town.
"They are mostly young fishermen. During questioning, they admitted their wrong-doings and begged for forgiveness," Soekamto told The Jakarta Post by phone.
Under Article 365 of the Criminal Code, anyone found guilty of violently looting can be imprisoned up to nine years.
Soekamto said police had not found any indication so far that the perpetrators had any political motives.
"They were just a few desperate fishermen. Life has been hard because of the unfriendly weather in the seas while prices of basic commodities such as kerosene were rumored to soar.
"But, because demand was too high, stores naturally ran out of stocks. People could not believe what was happening and went on a rampage. It was simply spontaneous," he said.
The situation had returned to normal yesterday. Stores were open and daily activities had resumed, according to Soekamto.
Hundreds of police and military personnel were on alert in anticipation of more disturbances, he added.
The series of attacks and the looting of shops in Rembang, about 115 kilometers east of Central Java's capital of Semarang, reportedly involved dozens of people last week.
As many as 17 shops in Kragan and eight shops in Sarang, mostly belonging to residents of Chinese descent, were damaged in the incidents.
The last outbreak of violence took place last Wednesday and Thursday in the subdistricts of Sluke and Lasem and the town of Rembang where several shops were reportedly pelted with stones.
The unrest came as Indonesia continues to suffer from economic chaos worsened by mass layoffs and dramatic price rises following the rapid devaluation of the rupiah.
Antara reported yesterday that unrest had also rocked the East Java regency of Tuban just east of Rembang.
Like in Rembang, an angry crowd in Tuban went on a rampage, damaging stores and looting.
The report said that the disturbances lasted from Jan. 28 through Jan. 30, in the subdistrict towns of Bulu, Tambakboyo and Palang.
Mojokerto military chief Col. Sambas A., who oversees the regencies of Tuban, Lamongan and Bojonegoro, was quoted by the news agency as saying that the riots were allegedly sparked by price hikes of basic daily needs.
Sambas said two alleged rioters had been arrested following the incidents. (aan)