Police admit firing rubber bullets
JAKARTA (JP): Police in the Irian Jaya capital of Jayapura admitted yesterday to firing rubber bullets into a crowd which refused to disperse during an Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) rally Monday, injuring four.
The four, who were among an estimated 1,000 PDI supporters taking part in the rally from Abepura to Jayapura, are being treated at the Aryoko Army Hospital in Jayapura.
Irian Jaya police chief Brig. Gen. Sjahrel Achmad said members of the police mobile brigade fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd that had vandalized a patrol truck trapped in a motorcade.
He said several police officers were wounded in the melee. "The authorities fired into the crowd after their warning shots were ignored," Sjahrel was quoted by Antara as saying.
In the ensuing riot, three police trucks and dozens of houses were damaged. The crowd rampaged after a pregnant woman fell in the shooting incident.
Sjahrel said the four people arrested for questioning Monday were released yesterday.
According to Sjahrel, all members of the mobile brigade were armed with rubber bullets. Riot police had rattan sticks.
"Rubber bullets are not lethal," he said.
The police chief said PDI should take responsibility for the riot because all three contestants, PDI, Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP), had pledged to control their supporters during the campaign.
But Irian Jaya PDI secretary Budi Baldus Waromi said his party was not responsible for the incident.
"The riot was party supporters' spontaneous reaction to the way the authorities handled the crowd. We are still investigating who triggered the violence," Budi said.
He said the PPP supporters were on their way to Jayapura when security authorities blocked their way. A woman fell unconscious in the scuffle, he said.
The angry party supporters pelted the police with stones, at which point military officers fired rubber bullets.
Budi said he had formed a fact-finding team.
Meanwhile, the Irian Jaya election committee ordered Governor Jacob Pattipi to look into PDI Jayawijaya branch's complaint that officials in Tiom district banned the party from campaigning last week.
Committee chairman Sulaiman said that Jayawijaya party officials claimed that a group of Tiom government officials, who support Golkar, intimidated PDI supporters.
"We have asked the governor to look into the report," Sulaiman said.
In Ujungpandang, thousands of ousted PDI leader Megawati Soekarnoputri loyalists were disappointed yesterday after police barred them from holding a street rally.
An official objection to a show of force on the street was conveyed to pro-Megawati party leaders across the province's 23 regencies by Andi Potji.
Andi, who chairs the South Sulawesi PDI chapter loyal to Megawati, said the police could not guarantee security for a street rally.
Thousands of Megawati loyalists paraded in the city's streets on May 12, foiling a rally organized by supporters of government- backed PDI chief Soerjadi.
Potji said he could understand the police's reason for banning the street rally. (pan/30)