More food protests grip W. Java towns, military in control

More food protests grip W. Java towns, military in control

By M.M.I. Ahyani

LOSARI, West Java (JP): More than 1,000 people, desperate in
the face of dramatic price hikes, ran riot here yesterday,
smashing, burning and looting shops.

The angry mob broke into shops, took out the merchandise and
threw it into the street and burned it. Forty-two shops were
damaged and five set ablaze in the eight-hour chaos.

Witnesses said they saw at least two motorcycles set on fire
and one truck wrecked by the mob. The prime target was property
of entrepreneurs of Chinese descent.

The chaos disrupted traffic on the road connecting West Java's
eastern tip with Central Java. Security authorities were forced
to reroute traffic through alternative roads.

Tension also gripped nearby towns, including Ciledug,
Pabuaran, Sedong, Cipeujeuh and Sindanglaut, where shops were
closed. Tension also prevailed in the Cirebon regency.

In Ciledug and Sindanglaut, groups of people threw stones at
shops along the main streets. In Cirebon, signs of unrest were
seen when a mob pelted the Jelita jewelry shop on Jl. Pekiringan
at about 8 a.m. Security forces moved swiftly before the violence
could develop, witnesses said.

Residents said the rioting in Losari started in the morning,
when a group of people gathered outside the Losari market
demanding that prices of essential good be brought down.

They complained that the level of prices was just too high.
Stone-throwing incidents began at midday but police quickly
brought the situation under control.

A much larger crowd came back after people returned from
Friday prayers at mosques. They began to attack shops. The two
bank there, Bank Lippo and Panin Bank, were untouched.

Abdul Cholik, a local resident, said he saw two protesters
fall and break their legs when they clambered onto the roof of a
store.

Security forces fired warning shots to disperse the crowd.

Cirebon police chief Col. Sukandri said he had received a
report of an incident in which a protester was shot dead in Lemah
Abang subdistrict. The victim was identified as Mustari, 28.

He said he would also look into reports that three other
people were wounded in the incident. They were Oman, 25, Atang,
17, and Ali, 18.

Cirebon was tense last night as many stores were closed and
less buses were seen in the street.

Factory burned

Reports from Jatiwangi, about 200 kilometers east of Jakarta,
said tension remained high. A roof-tile factory was burned down.
Shops were closed and traffic was unusually light.

The riot in Jatiwangi erupted Thursday, and at least eight
shops were damaged, and five houses and five motorcycles were
burned.

Police said the violence involved pedicab drivers and blue
collar workers, who feel they are bearing the brunt of the
economic crises.

AFP reported yesterday that riot police and troops were rushed
to the West Java northern towns of Ciasem, Pamanukan and
Indramayu, where unrest also took place or was imminent.

More than 1,000 people were rioting in Pamanukan late Friday
afternoon after rampaging throughout the day, a police officer
told AFP.

In Ciasem, 80 kilometers east of Jakarta, dozens of shops were
destroyed and 15 cars burned, according to the report.

The rioting continued in Pamanukan despite major deployments
of police and troops, added a police officer speaking from the
city of Subang, 30 kilometers south of Pamanukan.

A police officer in Bandung, Sergeant Dali Suhendra, said 200
Mobile Brigade officers had been sent to Pamanukan, 100
kilometers east of Jakarta.