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)