Kendari hit by third day of rioting
JAKARTA (JP): Rioting erupted again yesterday in the Southeast Sulawesi capital Kendari, following similar unrest in the city Tuesday and Wednesday. Hundreds of people, enraged by soaring prices, went on the rampage damaging and looting dozens of stores.
High school and university students, workers and local residents took part in the frenzy in shopping centers from around 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. forcing troops to fire repeated warning shots. Scores of protesters were later arrested.
At around 4 p.m. security personnel were deployed to areas where protesters were gathered and dispersed them. At about the same time, three people representing residents met with Brig. Gen. R. Ampi Tanujiwa, the local Army commander, explaining the people's frustration because prices of some commodities increased almost hourly.
"We have tried to visit local legislators, but they refused to meet us," one said.
Ampi said the military in the region was on full alert and would, if necessary, shoot rioters on the spot.
On Wednesday hundreds of public transportation drivers in the North Sumatran town of Rantau Prapat, frustrated over soaring prices of motor spare parts, ran amok, damaging dozens of stores and houses.
The situation was back to normal yesterday with numerous security personnel patrolling the town, according to North Sumatra military spokesman Lt. Col. Agus Ramadhan.
"The situation is under control now," he said, without further elaboration on the violence in the Labuhan Ratu regency town 400 kilometers southeast of Medan.
North Sumatra police spokesman Lt. Col. Amrin Karim, when contacted in Medan yesterday, refused to disclose how many stores and houses had been damaged. Antara said no one was arrested and no casualties were reported either.
The latest unrest comes on top of similar violence in more than 20 towns which has rocked the country since late January amid increasing tension over soaring prices, shortages of basic goods and mass unemployment.
Separately, five thousand families in three resettlement units in East Kalimantan are facing food shortages, Antara reported from the provincial capital Samarinda yesterday.
Vice Governor Suwarna A.F. confirmed the famine threatening settlers in Rantau Pulung, Muara Ancalong and Resak, in Kutai regency, and said the provincial administration had sent 80 tons of rice to the affected areas. Each family should receive five kilograms of rice today and tomorrow.
The second phase of assistance would take place soon, and some 810 tons of rice would be distributed through May, he said.
Antara also reported from East Nusa Tenggara's capital Kupang yesterday that supplies of basic commodities there would not last beyond the end of this month.
Kupang regent Paul Lawa Rihi said many traders were reluctant to send in supplies from Jakarta or Surabaya for fear they would have to pay more and, in turn, sell at an even higher price.
"The traders are afraid the local people will accuse them of profiteering," he said. "They have asked that the provincial administration and the security authorities guarantee their safety (from possible reprisals over high prices)."
He cited a brand of rice that is sold in Jakarta for Rp 80,000 (US$8) per sack but still circulates in Kupang for Rp 45,000 per sack. "The traders would not be able to do this (depress the prices) for long," he said.
Reports about food scarcities continue to pour in, and community members are applying themselves to survive the difficulties in different ways.
In Surabaya, 600 of the 3,012 Islamic boarding schools across East Java have agreed to distribute basic commodities in order to ensure supplies reach even the remotest areas.
The agreement was reached between the Association of East Java Boarding Schools and the provincial administration in a meeting attended by Governor Basofi Soedirman and 300 Moslem leaders yesterday.
The secretary of the association, Hemawan Malik, said the move was aimed at circumventing the "distorted market" -- caused by hoarders and speculators, among others -- which had disrupted distribution of basic commodities.
"This way, prices can be kept at affordable rates," he said.
He pointed out that food scarcities and soaring prices could easily trigger public unrest.
It was reported from Ujungpandang, the capital of South Sulawesi, that the Wirabuana Regional Military Commander, Maj. Gen. Agum Gumelar, and police chief, Brig. Gen. Ali Hanafiah, had threatened to punish traders who hoarded commodities in order to rake in profit.
"We will not hesitate to take legal action against the speculators," Agum said after a meeting to discuss the availability of basic commodities in the region.
Chinese
The rioting very often targeted Indonesians of Chinese descent because they are widely perceived as controlling the country's economy.
In Semarang, the capital of Central Java, dozens of businessmen of Chinese descent donated yesterday Rp 3 billion and three kilograms of gold, to the government's effort to revive the ailing economy.
Three of the businessmen handed over the donation to Governor Soewardi. The money and gold is to be kept in a local bank.
One of the businessmen, Sindu Darmali, told reporters that he and his colleagues had enjoyed success here and were now moved to help alleviate the suffering of their fellow countrymen.
Dozens of Indonesian businessmen of Chinese descent in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, handed over to Vice Governor Darmadi C.H. a donation of 5.58 kilogram of gold and Rp 17.8 million in cash for the same purpose. The group was represented by Anton Obey.
Since the crisis began the community in South Sulawesi has collected 23.9 kilograms of gold and Rp 64.9 million to help the government campaign to ease the suffering of the many people affected by the economic crisis.
In Medan, North Sumatra, Bukit Barisan Regional Military Commander Maj. Gen. Tengku Rizal Nurdin and his wife initiated a drive yesterday to collect gold and money from the community.
By the end of the day it had already raised Rp 182.5 million, 6.35 kilograms of gold, and US$310. (nur/30/har/swe/aan/swa)