Bima and Ende calm as protest hits Jakarta
JAKARTA (JP): Riot-hit Bima and Ende in Nusa Tenggara were calm yesterday as security authorities managed to bring the two towns under control, local officials said.
In Jakarta, scores of people staged a peaceful protest at Bank Indonesia and the State Logistics Agency over the soaring prices of essential commodities.
West Nusa Tenggara deputy police chief Col. Budiman Sulaeman told Antara that 15 men were arrested following Saturday's riot in Bima when a mob burned down three stores and damaged 20 others.
Hundreds of police officers backed up by scores of soldiers were still deployed in the streets to maintain order, Budiman said.
In Ende in East Nusa Tenggara, residents of Chinese descent however were still too afraid to reopen their stores, the news agency reported.
More than 100 of the town's residents of Chinese descent, whose stores and houses were targeted in Sunday's riot, have been taking refuge in local police and military stations, it said.
Yesterday, the security officers in Ende fired several warning shots to disperse a mob returning to the town center after East Nusa Tenggara Governor Herman Musakabe -- accompanied by provincial military chief Col. Bambang Sumardji, deputy police chief Col. Salikin Munits, the local logistic agency's deputy chief, Slamet Zubaidy -- visited the riot scene.
An indefinite night curfew has been imposed in Ende from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. since Sunday night.
At least 21 stores, mostly belonging to residents of Chinese descent, were set ablaze and 71 damaged in Sunday's riot in the town. All were looted, the news agency said, quoting Musakabe.
A different account, however, was given by Ende's regent, Frans Gedowolo, when contacted by The Jakarta Post from the East Nusa Tenggara town of Maumere.
He said 16 stores, two cars, and two motorcycles were torched in the unrest in downtown Ende, after a demonstration by around 200 people turned violent.
The mob was angry over soaring prices of the nine basic commodities; rice, sugar, detergent, cooking oil, kerosene, clothing, unbleached textiles, salt, and salted fish.
Musakabe said in East Nusa Tenggara's capital of Kupang that Sunday's vandalism and looting in Ende were criminal acts.
No arrests was reported, but the police have questioned several people allegedly involved in the riot, Antara said.
He conceded that the unrest was sparked by the soaring prices of commodities.
"Those who have suffered losses are not only the shop owners, but the whole community for whom it will now be difficult to find places to buy basic needs," the governor said.
The local government has planned to sell basic commodities directly to the people in markets.
As much as 5,312 tons of rice has been prepared for the market operation in Ende, Musakabe said. Similar operations were also being conducted in other areas in the province.
In Jakarta, hundreds of protesters marched through city thoroughfares to demand the government restore the shattered currency and ensure the country had enough basic commodities.
Under the watchful eyes of riot police and soldiers, including members of the Army Strategic Reserves Command, the six-hour protest passed without incident.
The approximately 200 demonstrators were mostly supporters of the ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party Megawati Soekarnoputri. They marched to the central bank offices, protesting the instability of the rupiah and demanding the bank's governor resign.
The crowd then moved along the city's main thoroughfares, marching around eight kilometers, to the State Logistics Agency. Their numbers swelled as passersby joined in.
Calling themselves the Red and White Force, the protesters demanded, among other things, that funds allocated for projects not directly related to food supply should be withdrawn and top priority be given to ensuring smooth distribution of basic commodities.
In Bandung yesterday, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Wiranto called on people to ignore rumors and leaflets that provoked them to riot in the wake of the economic crisis. (44/yac/emf/aan)