Buildings burned in Matraman brawl

Buildings burned in Matraman brawl

JAKARTA (JP): Five buildings were burned but no fatalities
reported following a vicious brawl between residents of Kebon
Manggis and Palmeriam in the Matraman area of East Jakarta on
Tuesday evening.

Matraman police chief Maj. Marsidi said on Tuesday that the
buildings burned included a notary office and a building
belonging to the Navy.

"They were throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails, and some were
using air guns. The fight began on Sunday night, when several pak
ogah (unofficial parking attendants) started to fight over who
would handle road traffic in the area of Jl. Matraman Raya,"
Marsidi said.

"On Monday night, the fight went on till 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
Today (Tuesday), it began again at about 5:20 p.m. and lasted
till about 7 p.m. It started again at 8 p.m. and went on until 9
p.m."

Separately, a resident in the area said that the burned
buildings were comprised of a few empty houses, a public
telephone service center and the notary office. (ylt)