Mobs riot in Denpasar, Indramayu, four injured

Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Nana Rukmana, Denpasar/Indramayu

Hundreds of people rioted in two separate incidents in Cirebon and Bali on Sunday leaving four people injured, dozens of houses and eight cars damaged.

No fatalities were reported in the incidents, which were caused when localized disputes escalated.

In the West Java town of Indramayu, dozens of youths from Sabrang village, Brondong, stormed into the neighboring Bedahan hamlet and threw rocks at houses when villagers were sleeping.

The villagers then called the police, said Katim, 60, a resident whose house was damaged in the incident.

The disorder ended after dozens of officers arrived in the area and arrested four youths. Many others managed to evade the authorities.

The incident left 37 houses with damaged roofs and broken windows. The mob also trashed two cars.

Rajam, 48, his wife, Narti, 35 and Tanirah, 21, were hit by rocks, sustaining bruises to their heads and shoulders.

Indramayu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Johni Suroto said on Monday the rampage was apparently in retaliation to an assault on a Sabrang villager by Bedahan youths.

Separately, in Denpasar, Bali, about 150 people armed with sharp weapons went on a rampage on Monday night at the Ubung intercity bus terminal. One person was injured and six cars were damaged in the attack.

Bali Provincial Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Pengasihan Gaut said on Monday the rampage was a response to an incident the day before.

On Saturday night, Bambang Irawan, a resident from Jl. Achmad Yani in Denpasar, got drunk with four friends at the Ubung bus terminal. They then violently attacked four bus ticket booths in the terminal. The incident ended peacefully after terminal officials confronted them and calmed them down.

On Sunday evening, Ari, Bambang's younger brother, rode a motorcycle into the terminal.

"On entering the premises he was stopped by a security guard and they became involved in a fierce argument, which ended in an altercation," Gaut said. Ari had been assaulted by another security guard at the terminal once before, he said.

Ari went back to his house, about 2.5 kilometers from the terminal and told his brother of the assault. Bambang gathered hundreds of residents in the neighborhood and they went on a rampage at the terminal. Six cars parked nearby were damaged, while one person was injured and admitted to the Sanglah Hospital. Police later arrived at the terminal and arrested six people for questioning.