Feuding Manggarai residents given three unpleasant choices
Feuding Manggarai residents given three unpleasant choices
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso offered rival resident groups
in Manggarai, South Jakarta, three unpleasant alternatives on
Monday unless they immediately settle their long-standing dispute
peacefully.
Should they fail to end their continuous brawls, they all
would be evicted from the neighborhood and either be driven back
to their respective hometowns or required to take part in the
government-sponsored transmigration scheme.
Sutiyoso said the last option was that members of the families
would be given the opportunity to take part in the renovation
projects of the densely populated area, which would probably be
developed into low-cost apartments.
Speaking to the media after installing Abdul Mufti as the new
South Jakarta mayor to replace Pardjoko, Sutiyoso, however, did
not elaborate on the alternatives, which are likely to give the
residents no option of continuing to live in their current
circumstances.
He only said that he had authorized the newly installed Mayor
Abdul Mufti to propose the offers.
"The mayor and the other officials have already started the
work. I hope this time it works," the governor said.
The longstanding brawls between residents groups in one of the
city's slum areas have become common scenes to locals and
authorities.
The clashes are usually sparked by small problem, such as
reports of one group mocking or attacking a rival group.
In August, two separate brawls occurred in Bukit Duri and
Manggarai, leaving one man injured and seven buildings
vandalized.
The first fight took place for no clear reason and the second
one was sparked by a report that a member of one group had been
beaten up.
Those involved in the second brawl were reportedly armed with
air rifles, rocks and crossbows. No residents were detained or
questioned after the incident.
On Sept. 9, the house of a policewoman in the Manggarai area
was set ablaze during a brawl.
On Sept. 27, a 41-year-old passerby was shot dead by an air
rifle bullet during a clash near the Manggarai railroad. The
heavy fighting prompted at least 150 households to temporarily
abandon their homes and seek refuge from the violence elsewhere.
The local administration claimed that attempts to broker
reconciliation between the brawling parties had been initiated
repeatedly but all had failed.
The latest effort to introduce a cease-fire was held on Sunday
at the state-owned SDN 05 Bukit Duri elementary school on Jl.
Peruk Bukit Duri Puteran.
About 500 residents from Manggarai, South Manggarai and Bukit
Duri subdistricts attended the ceremony, where representatives
from the three subdistricts signed a declaration to stop fighting
and to jointly tighten security in the area.
They also agreed to be liable to be punished if the deal
collapsed. (ivy)