Banjarmasin counts cost of the riot

By Johannes Simbolon and Christiani Tumelap

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan (JP): The city was still counting the cost of last Friday's riot when police said yesterday that the death toll was "only" 123 compared to between 133 and 142 published in newspapers.

National police spokesman Brig. Gen. Nurfaizi said in Jakarta that rescue workers had only found 121 bodies, burned beyond recognition, on the second floor of the Mitra Plaza shopping center and two others in the Lima Cahaya department store.

Rioters had burned or damaged more than 100 houses, three supermarkets, two hotels, three banks, two cinemas, two churches, a Buddhist temple, 144 shops, 36 cars, and 34 motorbikes, he said.

Nurfaizi said 123 people, including five military personnel, had been injured in the riot.

"Based on facts at the location, police believe that the 121 people who died in Mitra were all looters," Nurfaizi said.

The shopping center and the store had been closed since around 2:00 p.m., hours before the riot, and all employees had been dismissed, he said. The store's electric generator had also been turned off.

He said the people must have entered the building from the back because the front doors were all locked.

Nurfaizi refused to say what caused the fire or how the people could get into but not out of the building.

"Our forensic laboratory officers were there to investigate the case and identify the bodies," he said.

Relatives

Relatives have been urged to tell the police about missing people to help identify the corpses.

Most of the 121 people had been found holding the stores' merchandise which they had looted, he said. "Some were found holding clothes and electronic goods. Some others had gathered around cashier's booths."

Police had also found two trucks loaded with merchandise, including electronics and clothes, which the people had stolen from many stores, Nurfaizi said.

Alcohol bottles, food and sharp weapons had been found near the bodies.

"It seemed that they had the chance to seize food from the upper floor and enjoyed themselves on the second floor," Nurfaizi said.

He said Police had a video of the riot, but refused to show the video to press.

Nurfaizi said none of the victims had been shoot. "There was no shooting. But I don't know about the warning shots."

Police have seized 50 sharp weapons, 78 motorbikes, 12 bicycles and two trucks full of stolen goods.

The riot was sparked by a clash between supporters of the Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP) and Golkar in the city of 554,800 people.

Tens of thousands of people rampaged. Eyewitnesses said security personnel did not restore order until late at night.

"For about eight hours between midday and the evening, our town was in anarchy," a resident said.

The local paper, Banjarmasin Post, said the plaza had burned down at about 8 p.m., and that it was the last building to be set alight by the rioters.

Townspeople are still wondering how the victims got inside the locked shops which had been deserted several hours earlier.

Witnesses said they were trapped inside the building by security personnel who had besieged the building.

Banjarmasin Post journalists witnessing the removal of bodies from the plaza, said sharp weapons like knives, machetes and sickles lay near the victims' remains.

Some bodies were found holding what officials believe to be merchandise like belts, wristwatches and spectacles. Some bodies were hugging bags of clothes. There was even a body wearing three pairs of trousers.

Security personnel were looking for more bodies yesterday in other buildings which were burned in the riot.

Imbar said police had detained 116 of the 181 rioters captured in the riot. They were arrested while carrying sharp weapons. Most of them, he said, were jobless young people.

Police had identified people they believed were the masterminds of the riot. Police were still collecting hard evidence on them, he said.

Meanwhile, Banjarmasin was returning to normal with many offices, shops staying open all day. Yet, tension gripped the city as rumors of another riot and arson circulated.

There is still a curfew between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

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