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