Four die in Pontianak officers' clash

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)