Four die in Pontianak officers' clash
JAKARTA (JP): Four people died and a dozen others were severely injured on Tuesday when a brawl between members of an Army cavalry unit and the police's elite Mobile Brigade in the West Kalimantan capital of Pontianak turned into a shooting spree.
In a joint media conference later in the day, Pontianak military chief Col. Encip Kadarusman and police chief Col. Darsono said an investigation into the case had begun.
"Two Mobile Brigade members and two others from the cavalry unit died, while 12 others were wounded in the incident," Encip said, as quoted by Antara. He did not say how many troops and police officers were involved in the gun battle or if anyone had been detained for their involvement in the incident.
The Jakarta Post was unable to contact the Armed Forces (ABRI) spokesman for confirmation.
The incident took place at 8:30 a.m. in the eastern outskirts of Pontianak, on Jl. Adi Sucipto in Sungai Raya subdistrict, which is located on the way to Supadio Airport.
The Mobile Brigade's headquarters and housing complex are located in the area, only about 75 meters away from the cavalry unit's complex.
West Kalimantan Governor Aspar Aswin, who attended the media briefing, appealed for calm and said he had handed over the matter to the respective units of the Armed Forces.
Also attending the conference was National Mobile Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Sylvanus Y. Wenas.
Darsono said the brawl started in the morning when members of the Mobile Brigade and the cavalry -- long known in West Kalimantan for a deep animosity toward one another -- met on the street on their way home from separate exercises.
He said the Mobile Brigade members were returning from a parade tournament in connection with this year's 53rd Armed Forces anniversary on Oct. 5, while the cavalry troops were returning from an exercise to commemorate the state ideology Pancasila's Sanctity Day, which falls on Thursday.
"They mocked one another when they met," he said.
The incident did not end there on the street but continued when the two groups arrived at their respective quarters.
Witnesses said members of the cavalry unit then went out in their armored vehicles and shot at the Mobile Brigade's headquarters. The Mobile Brigade members fought back with shotguns.
Witnesses also said the shooting spree went on for some 30 minutes, and ended only after the chiefs of the Pontianak Police and the military arrived on the scene.
A staff member at St. Antonius Hospital in Sei Jawi subdistrict in Pontianak said the hospital was treating nine members of the Mobile Brigade.
"None died (yesterday)," he told The Jakarta Post, while asking for anonymity.
An official at the Sudarso Hospital contacted by the Post refused to reveal how many Armed Forces members were being treated there.
A source said that family members of the Mobile Brigade officers have been evacuated to the Air Force base at Supadio Airport to avoid further clashes. (imn/aan)