499 dead in wake of rioting

499 dead in wake of rioting

JAKARTA (JP): The death toll from three days of rioting in
Greater Jakarta topped 499 yesterday and police have rounded up
more than 1,000 alleged rioters.

Jakarta was relatively calm but fresh violence was reported in
several Central Java towns and emotions reportedly remained high in
the West Sumatra capital of Padang.

Tension threatened to boil over again in Medan, North Sumatra,
after security officers fired and wounded three students who were
beating up a plainclothes officer they accused of spying during a
meeting with legislative council members.

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Wahab Mokodongan told a news
conference yesterday that: "As of 7 p.m. tonight, the death toll
was 499, including those burned to death and those who tried to
save themselves by jumping from burning buildings."

"ABRI (the military) apologizes to all sections of the nation
and to the Indonesian people for the conditions which exist at the
moment," he said in a written statement.

"ABRI is already and will continue to work hard and is ready
to risk all its credibility for the return of security and peace,"
he said.

The death toll continued rising yesterday because several
smoldering shopping centers have yet to be thoroughly combed.

Deputy Jakarta Governor for Development Affairs Abdul Kahfi
said 3,029 buildings, 950 cars and 513 motorcycles were destroyed
or damaged.

Kahfi said 232 were killed and 69 wounded in Jakarta alone.

The bodies, mostly burned beyond recognition, had been
collected from various shopping malls in Jakarta and Tangerang, as
of 12 p.m. yesterday, he said.

Most of the remains were collected from Plaza Central Klender
and Plaza Jatinegara in East Jakarta, Plaza Slipi Jaya in West
Jakarta, Ramayana Palmerah in Central Jakarta, Ramayana Koja in
North Jakarta and Plaza Ciledug in Tangerang, he said.

The 134 remains collected from Plaza Ciledug will be buried in
a mass grave in Tangerang because there is no way to identify them,
he added.

More than 300 looters, mostly teenagers, are believed to have
been trapped in a fire at the fourth floor of Plaza Ciledug on
Thursday night.

Morgue

Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue has received at
least 239 charred bodies collected from the rubble of shopping
centers throughout the city.

The morgue's head, Mardiana, said relatives were only able to
recognize 54 of the bodies.

Hundreds of people flocked to the morgue yesterday in search
of loved ones who had failed to return home after the shopping
center fires. Only a few of them could identify the bodies.

M. Sani, whose son and daughter died in the ravaged Yogya
department store, identified his son, Iwan, 21, but failed to find
the body of his daughter Mulyani, 17.

The morgue received 44 plastic bags containing the bodies
recovered yesterday from the department store on Jl. Ngurah Rai,
East Jakarta. It was burned by rioters Thursday night and at least
198 bodies were recovered.

Eleven bodies were found in the gutted shell of the Glodok
electronics center in West Jakarta.

The morgue also received two bodies from the Ramayana
department store on Jl. Kramat Jaya, Semper, North Jakarta and a
further 18 bodies were found in Slipi Jaya shopping center in West
Jakarta Friday night.

Police said they had arrested 1,027 alleged looters, several
of those were students, from various places all over the city.

"They were caught red-handed looting. Some 457 of those are
detained at Jakarta Police Headquarters, while the rest are
incarcerated at several police stations," a police spokesman said.

Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said
yesterday that the situation was under control and called for
business to resume in the capital.

"ABRI (Armed Forces) guarantees security," Sjafrie said.

Troops patrolled the city streets in armored vehicles in an
obvious move to show they were serious in their threat to take
stern action against troublemakers.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso appealed to all citizens who have
taken refuge in hotels or abroad to return home because the capital
had returned to normal.

"The security officers have guaranteed the safety of Jakarta
residents," he said after touring the battered city.

Fresh riots

Fresh riots broke out in Central Java towns of Boyolali,
Karanganyar and Sukohardjo Friday evening.

Dozens of shops selling basic commodities, showrooms and
office buildings in Boyolali were stoned and burned by hundreds of
rioters Friday evening. Dozens of vehicles and tons of basic
commodities were destroyed or damaged.

Boyolali regent Syarial Makgalatung enforced a night curfew
from 8 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. yesterday.

Similar rioting occurred in Karanganyar, where three
supermarkets, a car and a motorbike shop, and a bank were destroyed
yesterday. At least 10 cars and 30 motorbikes were burned.

The rioters also looted stores which sell sundries.

In Kartasura subdistrict, Sukohardjo regency, hundreds of
rioters destroyed and burned three supermarkets, three banks and
eight buses. A car belonging to the chief of the Sukohardjo
District Police was also destroyed.

They also looted electronic stores before setting them ablaze.

Local police reported that 50 rioters were arrested during the
unrest.

Smaller-scale unrest occurred in Sragen regency, with an
office complex and a store selling basic commodities destroyed.

The Central Java capital of Semarang was tense yesterday as
rumors of rioting abounded.

Shops, supermarkets and all banks were closed. Residents were
seen queuing at Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) throughout the
city.

Normalcy returned to Padang, West Sumatra, after mass social
unrest in the city Friday, Antara reported.

"We (security officials) have been in control of the city
since Friday evening," an on-duty security official said.

Security personnel stood guard at city corners, while some
shop owners were seen repairing buildings stoned by rioters the day
before. Most shops remained closed.

In Palembang, South Sumatra, Governor Ramli Hasan Basri
instructed Sriwijaya Regional Military Command -- overseeing South
Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and Lampung provinces -- and South Sumatra
Police, to take firm action against rioters.

"Our patience is wearing thin. The riots must be put to an end
immediately," Ramli told reporters.

"The rioters stoned shops, hotels and office buildings, and
burned them all after they had looted the goods," he said.
(edt/ind/imn/har/jun/ivy/21)