JP/7/acros26

JP/7/acros26

Kendari police hunt for brawl suspects

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Police are searching for two people
suspected of provoking a mass brawl between residents of two
villages, Konawe and Masara in Muna regency, Southeast Sulawesi.

Muna Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Alimuddin Tinulu said on
Monday that the two suspects were believed to have beaten a
resident of Konawe, which sparked the brawl on Saturday.

The attack allegedly carried out by the two, both villagers
from Masara, took place on Feb. 10. Residents in Konawe mounted a
man hunt for the suspects, who disappeared after the incident in
Kusambi subdistrict, around 30 kilometers from Muna.

Failing to find them, the Konawe villagers later blocked off
the border area and began stopping and inspecting passersby in a
bid to find the suspects.

The move sparked anger among Masara villagers who, brandishing
sharp weapons, attacked residents in neighboring Konawe. At least
five people, including two policemen, were injured after being
stoned.

Leaders from the feuding villages later met and agreed to stop
the violence, Alimuddin said. --Antara

Drug dealer arrested in Riau

PEKANBARU, Riau: The Bengkalis police in Riau province said on
Monday they had arrested an illegal drug distributor at a waste
dump site in the town of Dumai.

The suspect, identified only by his initials as Hen, 17 -- who
was among those targeted by a police operation -- was captured on
early Sunday, as he tried to conduct a deal with one of his
customers.

The police confiscated 20 ecstasy pills from Hen.

The arrest followed a tipoff from local people, who told the
police that the suspect had often engaged in drug transactions in
a bar in Dumai.

The police later traced Hen and found him performing an
illegal drug deal at the waste dump site behind the bar. --Antara

Six residents charged with burning chicken thief

CIREBON, West Java: At least six residents of Susukan village in
Cirebon city were named as suspects on Monday in the deliberate
burning of a suspected chicken thief.

Cirebon Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Mushafak said the six
suspects -- Imron Rosadi, Sodikin, Ahmad Saefi, Sardi, Hanafi and
Taryana -- were among the 47 villagers arrested for their alleged
involvement in burning to death an unidentified youth accused of
stealing a chicken on Sunday.

Forty-one of the residents were allowed to go home after
intensive questioning at the local police precinct, while the
remaining six were detained as suspects subject to further
investigations, Mushafak said.

The victim was caught in Susukan at 2 a.m. on Sunday by
residents patrolling the village. The youth tried unsuccessfully
to escape.

It is common in Indonesia for people to take the law into
their own hands when they find suspected criminals operating in
their local area due to their distrust of police and their
ability to deal adequately with crime. --Antara

Three killed instantly in truck crash

CIKAMPEK, West Java: Three people were killed instantly when two
large trucks collided on the Cikampek toll road in the Klari
area, Karawang regency, on Monday.

Supangan, a spokesman for the state-owned toll road operator
PT Jasa Marga based in Cikampek, said the fatal crash occurred
because the driver of one of the trucks, 39-year old Legito, was
fatigued after a long period behind the wheel.

The other two victims were Legito's assistant Suyadi, 35, and
Budi, 25, assistant to the driver of the other truck.

The crash occurred when Legito's truck, which was traveling
from the direction of Cikampek at high speed, suddenly veered to
the left, where Budi had parked his vehicle to change one of its
tires. Legito's truck then slammed into the parked vehicle,
striking and killing Budi. --Antara