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.