Clashes continue to rock cities around Indonesia
JAKARTA (JP): The South Sulawesi town of Pinrang was rocked by clashes on Tuesday, while Surabaya in East Java and Dili in East Timor witnessed sporadic outbreaks of looting.
The North Sumatra capital of Medan also remained crippled due to an ongoing massive strike by public transportation drivers that started the day before.
As many as 5,000 people alleging they had been cheated by a local cooperative in Pinrang became involved in clashes with security forces preventing them from forcing their way into the institution's office.
The angered mob, clustered in several groups, pelted stones at the security personnel, many of whom threw stones back. No casualties were reported in the incident.
The crowds finally dispersed after troops fired warning shots into the air.
Security forces foiled one group's attempt to burn down the official residence of Pinrang Regent Firdaus Amrullah.
In the days leading up to Tuesday's violence, many residents deserted the town to seek shelter in nearby areas following threats by the cooperative's customers that they would completely raze the town if the cooperative failed to return their money by Sept. 15.
More than 900 riot police, troops and youths armed with sticks and knives were put on guard in strategic places in the town. They seized hundreds of knives and other sharp weapons from people entering the town to prevent possible clashes between native residents and visitors.
Amran, one of the cooperative's customers, said he and many others had become angry after the cooperative's owner failed to keep his promise.
"We had been deceived and led to believe that the cooperative was backed by the local administration (so it would be able to repay us)," he said.
The cooperative was said to be have been operating illegally, promising to return a deposit of Rp 10 million (US$900), for instance, with enough interest for the customer to buy a used car in good condition.
Massive strike
Meanwhile, Medan on Tuesday was still paralyzed by an ongoing massive strike by public transportation drivers protesting the skyrocketing prices of basic commodities and vehicle spare parts.
School children, housewives and employees had to walk to their destinations or scrambled to get on board the few minivans that dared to operate. Some police and military trucks were seen transporting residents along some thoroughfares, such as Jl. M. Yamin, Jl. Jamin Ginting and Jl. Gatot Subroto.
Many youths took to the streets and stopped whatever buses were still operating, asking the drivers to stop working and join the strike.
A proprietor of a bus company, asking for anonymity, said his four buses were still parked in front of his house because their drivers continued their strike, which is planned through Wednesday.
On Monday, striking drivers vandalized a number of properties, while a group of people took advantage of the chaotic situation by attacking and looting a shopping center.
As of Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of police were still deployed in strategic places throughout the city in anticipation of possible riots.
Col. Nono Supriyono, chief of the Medan municipal police, said police had questioned 85 people involved in the vandalism and looting that hit the city on Monday.
"Of the 85, 69 have been released while the remaining 16 were detained for further investigation," he said.
In Surabaya, East Java, Governor Imam Utomo condemned the sporadic looting by groups of people in several areas of the province.
"The lootings cannot be tolerated, even if the reason was economic hardship. All crimes must be investigated thoroughly," he said on Tuesday.
He warned that authorities would take strict action against all those involved in the recent looting of teakwood, shrimp ponds, cocoa and coffee plantations in the province.
More than 100,800 teak trees have been illegally felled by people living near some forests, causing Rp 11 billion in material losses to the state-owned Perhutani.
Surabaya police have arrested two Navy officers caught red- handed transporting looted teak logs.
The two, first sergeant AGJ and first sergeant YP, were caught while entering the city in a truck.
Hundreds of people in Dili, East Timor, looted 1.5 metric tons of rice from a government warehouse late Monday.
Deputy chief of the Dili Police, Maj. Mangatas Tambunan, said police were still investigating the incident and could not yet provide any details.
But witnesses said the looters raided the warehouse because they could no longer afford to buy rice.
Security personnel arrived on the scene before the warehouse was cleaned out.
"If the security personnel had not arrived then, the whole stock of rice in the warehouse would have been gone by now," said a local resident who refused to be named. (21/30/nur/rms)