Five injured in police attack

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Dozens of riot police ran amok in a housing complex here on Tuesday following a minor accident involving an officer and a local resident, leaving five people wounded.

To the surprise of many, only one of the police personnel, Second Brig. Misri Kordian Telaumbanua, was detained on Wednesday for allegedly inciting the violence, the second incident to have involved riot police and residents within four days.

The angry officers, armed with rifles, attacked a house on Jl. AR Hakim and beat the five residents after they failed to find a man identified as Junaidi, whom they accused of throwing a stone at Misri earlier on Tuesday.

The police scoured the housing complex to take revenge for the attack on Misri, widely known as Ucok Nias. Witnesses said Junaidi stoned Misri after the latter had struck the resident of Langgar Lane inside the housing complex, while speeding on his motorcycle.

The injured residents, identified as Burhanuddin, Ucok Uban, Zaenal, Azam and Suko were rushed to the hospital. They were beaten, as they had resisted the raid.

The house vandalized by the angry officers belongs to Sarmin, who managed to escape the attack unhurt.

Misri has been declared a suspect in the incident, while his colleagues who joined him in the attack are still being questioned as witnesses.

Medan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bagus Kurniawan, who oversees the riot police unit, has not commented on the violence, nor sought an apology from the residents.

On the contrary, Bagus immediately went to the Navy base in Belawan to apologize for another incident involving another riot police officer, Chief Brig. Jadi Zulianus Perangin-angin.

Zulianus was detained, also on Wednesday, after he shot a Marine, First Corp. Gunardi, following a fight in a cafe on Jl. Capt. Rahman Budin on Tuesday. Gunardi suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg.

In order to promote peace, the Medan Police have covered the medical expenses for treating Gunardi at Gleneagles Hospital in Medan. It remains unknown whether the police have made the same offer to five residents beaten in separate violence on Tuesday.

Bagus said the case involving his personnel and the Marine was now closed, except for the legal processing of Zulianus.

Two other riot policemen, identified as First Brig. Budi Sulistiyo and Second Brig. Mucklis, were detained earlier for allegedly beating Edy Anthony to death at a police station on Jl. Perniagaan last Friday.

Medan Police chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Maruli Siahaan said the police were committed to upholding the law. "So far we have always detained errant personnel and brought them to justice," he said.