Police and Navy officers clash in Cirebon
Police and Navy officers clash in Cirebon
JAKARTA (JP): Two security officers were injured following a
brawl between police and Navy officers in Cirebon, West Java,
Antara reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday about 8:30 p.m. a group of officers from Cirebon
Police precinct attacked a Navy officer, Asep Suhendra, along an
alley near Jl. Samadikun, the report said.
The policemen were reportedly upset as one of the precinct
inmates, who had a crew cut, had escaped.
Asep was in the vicinity when the policemen were searching for
the escapee, and they asked him if he saw a "man with a short
hair cut" in the area.
"Asep said 'No', but shortly after, the policemen returned and
beat him up," Cirebon Military Police chief Lt. Col. Suhardi
said.
Asep was dragged into a police pickup and was again beaten by
the policemen although he told them that he was a member of the
armed forces, Suhardi said.
Asep who was left black-and-blue, managed to report the
incident to the military police, which later probed the case.
Following the incident, in the early hours of Thursday
morning, dozens of Navy officers from KRI Krakatau battleship
which was anchored at Cirebon Port, went on a rampage at the
nearby police's Water Unit (Satpol Air) Headquarters in
retaliation of the attack on the Navy officer.
A policeman was severely injured in the melee, while windows
of the headquaters were shattered.
"We urge all personnel to calm down. We are investigating the
matter.. this was probably due to minor misunderstanding,"
officer Suhardi said.
Brawl
In Bandung. hundreds of street vendors on the busy Dalem Kaum
street in the West Java capital engaged in a mass brawl on
Thursday afternoon, leaving at least three people injured.
The conflict first erupted around 3 p.m. over a minor traffic
accident, Antara reported.
The melee forced the neighboring shops and kiosks to close
down their activities.
A vendor, identified only as Ant was riding a motorbike and
accidentally bumped into a trader from another group of vendors
named Syamsul Bachri and both men involved in a quarrel.
Three vendors, identified as Nasrul, 26, Abdul Murad, 28, and
Toni, 30, were injured in the fray.
As of 6:30 p.m. on Thursday the situation was under control
after the Police put on a tight security cordon around the area.
Earlier in the day, another brawl involving hundreds of armed
horse-cart drivers and public van drivers erupted in the area
along Majalaya - Ciparay in Bandung regency.
The brawl began around 10 a.m. and lasted until 2 p.m.
Thursday, leaving scores injured.
It is reported that the public van drivers were angry after
their protest to ask for road repair went unheeded.
The horse-cart drivers, instead of supporting the protest,
seizing the opportunity by serving commuters through the damaged
roads.
Police eventually dispersed the two warring groups and both
camps agreed to meet at the Majalaya district hall to settle
their disputes. (edt)