Children hurt as parties clash in Yogyakarta

YOGYAKARTA (JP): With campaign season nearing to a close, clashes between supporters of rival parties and other acts of violence continued to prevail on Tuesday.

A fresh brawl involving hundreds of supporters of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and United Development Party (PPP) flared up in Yogyakarta, leaving six people, including two children, injured and two cars seriously damaged.

To add insult to injury, a truckload of PDI Perjuangan traditional artists plunged into a ravine in Jonggrangan village in Kulonprogo regency, west of here, on its way home from a rally. The accident killed one and seriously wounded four others.

Witnesses said the clash broke out when a PDI Perjuangan motorcade was blocked by hundreds of PPP supporters on Jl. Wachid Hasyim in Kauman area, long touted as a PPP stronghold, following rumors that the PDI Perjuangan activists removed PPP banners and attributes during their crosstown rally.

The mob attacked a car belonging to Ngadiran, 40, of Sewon district in Bantul, who participated in the convoy along with his seven-year-old son Danang and four-year-old daughter Dita. The three were injured by falling shards of glass from the car windows.

PPP supporters also stabbed Dike Nugroho and his relative Tyas Purbo Nugroho, who were driving home to Bantul from Semarang. The two youths claimed they were not PDI Perjuangan supporters but decorated their car with the party attributes for safety reasons.

Another PDI Perjuangan activist, Poncol, suffered stab wounds to his left arm in a separate clash against PPP rivals in Jlagran, a northern part of the sultanate town.

Except Poncol, all the victims were admitted to Bethesda Hospital but were discharged later in the day.

Hundreds of police and military troops were deployed to restore order. They fired at least three warning shots to disperse the warring groups.

The situation remained tense in the evening, with security personnel guarding Kauman in anticipation of a possible vendetta of PDI Perjuangan supporters.

Yogyakarta Police deputy chief Col. Erwin MAP presided over a peace agreement between the conflicting parties in a Kauman mosque hours after the clash, the third to involve them in the past three months. The previous clashes killed two PDI Perjuangan supporters.

Some 125 kilometers away to the north, a PDI Perjuangan activist, Cahyo Waji, was shot in his left foot by an unidentified person during a motorcade on Jl. Siranda in Semarang, the capital of Central Java. The 22-year-old man was rushed to Telogorejo Hospital, but discharged later in the day after receiving medical treatment.

Local police confirmed afterwards Cahyo was not wounded by police nor military weapons. The police are investigating the shooting, the first ever to happen in the town.

Blood marred the party's last campaign in Semarang as another party supporter, Winarno, 37, fell to his death from a truck during a parade on Jl. Sriwijaya and an unidentified woman was hit by a car joining a motorcade on Jl. Mataram. She was admitted to Panti Wiloso Hospital.

Earlier on Monday evening, nine people, including two policemen, were injured in a clash between PPP supporters and their National Mandate Party (PAN) rivals in Kadrenan village in Klaten, also in Central Java.

Head of PPP's Klaten office, Sutopo, said Tuesday the melee erupted when masses of the two rival parties met on their way home from campaign rallies. Exchange of mudslinging turned into a war of stones, according to Sutopo.

Police were summoned to the scene to intervene, but two of them were struck with flying stones. However, no serious injuries were reported.

Sutopo said the two groups had made peace.

There were more reports of violence, including that targeting election monitoring volunteers. (44/23/har)