Dozens injured in clashes after PPP gatherings in Central Java

PEKALONGAN, Central Java (JP): Dozens of people were injured in two clashes between supporters of the United Development Party (PPP) and hundreds of unidentified people.

There are several versions of the brawls, which police say did not happen.

The first fight happened in Kajen regency, about 25 kilometers south of here. A motorcade of about 100 PPP supporters traveling home from a rally in nearby Asinan village was reportedly attacked by a mob in front of a Golkar office.

Ali Imron of the PPP Pekalongan branch said 20 supporters were beaten with iron sticks and wooden clubs. Some had their bones broken.

"We deplore the security personnel who only stood by watching the incident," he told The Jakarta Post.

An officer on duty at the Pekalongan police precinct denied the incident.

Imron said the fight began after local police and soldiers told the people of Asinan, Kandang Serang district, not to attend the PPP rally.

He said that, because the villagers were too afraid to attend the rally, the local PPP campaign committee decided to summon supporters from the nearby villages of Buaran, Kedung Wuni and Wonopringgo.

He said that, after the supporters returned from the rally, a mob waiting in front of the Golkar office attacked. "It's very likely that the mob were Golkar supporters," Ali said, adding that the supporters had no choice but to defend themselves.

The other incident in Pekalongan involved a convoy of PPP supporters who were pelted with stones by dozens of unidentified men on Jl. Bina Griya.

Zurkoni of the local PPP branch said that "dozens of residents armed with sickles and swords" were waiting for the PPP convoy.

"We chose to flee," Zurkoni said, adding that two PPP supporters were injured when they fell off their motorcycle.

The police officer contacted by the Post said that PPP supporters had begun the incident by throwing stones at homes in the Bina Griya housing complex. Most of the complex's residents are Golkar members.

The officer said no one was injured and that the PPP supporters had been briefly detained for questioning.

Thousands of supporters attended the PPP rally in the town, a PPP stronghold where several political riots have occurred in recent few months. Last Wednesday, there was a fight between Golkar and PPP supporters which left eight injured.

The regional military spokesman, Lt. Col. Sugeng Suryanto, said five people had been arrested over the fight. (har/aan)