Police allegedly attack vendors

BOGOR, West Java: A group of men with crew cuts ran amok and beat street vendors on Jl. Merdeka on Sunday night, causing injuries among the traders and damaging their stalls.

Snack vendors Sulaeman, 45, and Robert Siregar, 40, said on Monday that the incident stemmed from a fight between vendors and residents of Jl. Merdeka on one hand and three men claiming to be members of the Kedunghalang Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Regiment 1 on Saturday night.

Robert said that the alleged Brimob members seized some Rp 1 million (US$105) from a newspaper vendor who was sleeping on the terrace of a store.

One of the men, Siswoyo, was captured and beaten up, while his friends managed to flee with the money.

"We found out that he was a Brimob member from a firearms license in his wallet which he threw away," Robert said.

The license clearly states his name, Private Siswoyo S.J., a member of Battalion C, Regiment 1 Kedunghalang. The license authorizes him to carry an SS I 5.56 mm caliber firearm with registration number 99.64015.

Later at around 10 p.m. on Sunday night, a group of men who arrived in two public minivans attacked the vendors with firearms, sickles and machetes. (hdn)