26 arrested over Bangkalan violence

26 arrested over Bangkalan violence

SURABAYA (JP): Twenty-six people were arrested during fresh
rioting in the Madurese town of Bangkalan Saturday night, police
said yesterday.

East Java Police spokesman Lt. Col. Sofwat Hadi told The
Jakarta Post that Bangkalan was calm yesterday but the
authorities remained on high alert.

He said Bangkalan, together with other hotspots on Madura
island and in East Java -- like Situbondo, Pasuruan and Jember --
were being closely watched for possible unrest.

The violence began at around 8 p.m. at the residence of the
Bangkalan regent Djakfar Safi'i, where a thanksgiving party was
being thrown for the town winning the prestigious national
Adipura award for its cleanliness.

The rioters, believed to be United Development Party (PPP)
supporters, stormed the arena -- plunging the revelry into
disarray.

They rampaged through the town until midnight when police and
troops were able to control them, witnesses said.

It was the second riot to hit Bangkalan recently. The first
occurred on May 29 when PPP supporters, who also rampaged in
other towns on Madura, ran amok in protest at alleged vote-
rigging.

A police officer sustained a serious injury after being knifed
by a rioter Saturday night when trying to protect an official
from the rioters. A church, a Buddhist temple, a cinema, three
shops and three government vehicles were set on fire by the
rioters, police said.

Regent Djakfar was quoted by the Suara Pembaruan newspaper as
saying Saturday that hundreds of rioters "appeared from nowhere".

"The violence broke out while we were celebrating the Adipura
award. Maybe some people did not like it and showed their disgust
by rampaging," he said.

He refuted suggestions that the violence was linked to some
PPP supporters' objections to the poll results.

PPP Bangkalan branch chairman Fuad Amin also denied that the
violence had anything to do with the party's dissatisfaction with
the election results.

Fuad said that although his branch had accused officials of
poll fraud during the May 29 general election, they had finally
accepted the results.

PPP lost to the government-backed Golkar in Sampang.

Fuad theorized that the people were possibly angered by the
noise from the party which was near the Bangkalan grand mosque.

"People here are still hurt by the poll results they believe
were full of fraud, while ulemas' objections were not heeded," he
said. "The regent should have held such a celebration in a
stadium, not in front of the mosque."

Fuad regretted the burnings and attacks on government
buildings and other faiths' places of worship, saying that the
incident hurt the nation's long-fostered sense of unity and
integration.

"We suspect that some irresponsible people were out to tarnish
our party's image through this violence. We highly appreciate the
action of the security forces, who quickly coordinated with us to
quell the unrest," Fuad said. (26/aan)