Dozens wounded after court session turns ugly in Jayapura

Dozens wounded after court session turns ugly in Jayapura

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura

Dozens of people, including 10 police officers, were injured
after a court session in Jayapura on Tuesday for locally
respected Papuan separatists, ended up chaos.

The rampage began as hundreds of local separatist supporters
blocked the main entrance gate of Jayapura district court after a
car carrying separatist leaders Philep Karma and Yusak Pakage
headed back to the Jayapura prison where they are being held.
Yusak and Karma, who had previously been allowed to address their
supporters after other hearings, were whisked away immediately
after Tuesday's hearing for alleged subversion related to raising
a separatist flag in December 2004.

Karma's supporters tried to block the car to allow the men to
stay and speak. After the vehicle managed to leave, they became
angry and began pelting security personnel and the district court
building with rocks. The police fought back, and it quickly
degenerated into bloody chaos. At least 11 civilians were rushed
to Dok II Hospital in the city with serious injuries, while 26
others were hauled away to the Jayapura municipal police station
for interrogation.

"All of the people admitted to the hospital were wounded after
being pelted with rocks or bricks," said Made Heri, a doctor at
the hospital.

At least 10 police officers were injured in the melee as well,
one of them was Asst. Second. Insp. Sudjono who suffered a
serious gash to his head after being hit, presumably by a rock.

Besides the stoning of the police, the enraged group also
damaged five vehicles that were parked outside the court
compound. All of the court buildings windows were shattered as
well.

The crowd eventually dispersed after the police fired warning
shots in the air.

Fearing further bloodshed after hearing the gun shots, the
crowd retreated from the court compound and marched to
Cendrawasih University, around 500 meters away.

They blocked a main street in front of the university and
burned tires, bringing traffic to standstill in the area for over
two hours

Independence leader Karma's supporters then regrouped and held
a large protest demonstration in the street, demanding that
Jayapura police release their 26 friends who had been taken away
after the initial violence erupted at the court.

Chief of Jayapura police Adj. Sr. Comr. Son Ani did hold talks
with the protest leaders and promised them that the police would
release the 26 only after the protesters cleared the street. "We
finally released the 26 people, but we assured them that their
legal processing would still go forward," said Soni.

The rampage created panic among local residents and businesses
in the area. Many shops in the city closed down after hearing of
violence. "The protesters were angered because Philep Karma,
unlike in past hearings, was not allowed to address the crowd of
supporters after the trial (hearing)," Judge Ichsan, who is
hearing the case, told Agence France Presse.

Karma and his colleague Yusak Pakage are on trial for hoisting
the outlawed Papuan separatist flag. They were arrested by
Jayapura police officers on Dec. 1 last year after leading a
flag-hoisting ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the
Papua freedom movement.

During the trial session on Tuesday, Jayapura prosecutors
demanded the two persons be jailed for five years each for their
alleged roles in subversive activities.