Angry mob attacks election official's home in Pekalongan

PEKALONGAN, Central Java (JP): An angry mob of about 200 people ransacked the home of a government official for failing to register them for next month's election, officials said yesterday.

The incident happened at about 7 p.m. when the mob raided the home of Abdul Halim Hadi, head of the local voters registration committee.

Pekalongan district military chief Lt. Col. Tri Haryono said the mob, armed with sticks and stones, smashed windows and doors. They took out the official's belongings and set them on fire.

Abdul Halim, his wife and their three children escaped the violence. The attack stopped only when hundreds of security officers arrived at the scene.

No arrests were made, according to Haryono. An officer on duty at the Pekalongan military district office told The Jakarta Post that 30 soldiers were deployed around the village hall yesterday in anticipation of more violence.

He said the authorities had identified the masterminds, adding that it was yet to be determined if the violence was politically motivated.

Village secretary Khaeroni said the mob was dissatisfied with an official's explanation on why they could no longer be registered as voters in the upcoming election.

Buaran district chief Chusnul Makrom reportedly defended Abdul Halim, saying "the residents had been repeatedly visited and summoned to register but they did not show up".

The registration of voters throughout Indonesia opened on May 1 and closed on July 27 last year.

Pekalongan, a predominantly Moslem town, has repeatedly been hit by unrest over the past few weeks. The violence was triggered by rivalry between the dominant Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP).

The coastal town is also known as a PPP stronghold, which won the 1992 election.

Previous unrest hit Pekalongan Sunday when hundreds of people attacked the office of the deputy governor.

Wearing PPP T-shirts and armed with sticks and rocks, they wrecked furniture and smashed window panes, eyewitnesses said. Terrified security guards fled to avoid a clash.

In Surakarta, a Golkar street rally was pelted with stones Sunday.

Police said several Golkar supporters and a police officer were injured and a motorcycle was heavily damaged. (har/aan/wah)