Police beaten up in protest
Police beaten up in protest
The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Following the stepping down of president Soeharto in May 1998,
people in many regions around the country have held protests
demanding that their areas be upgraded into provinces, regencies,
districts and subdistricts.
What happened in Tangerang, Banten on Monday was, however,
just the opposite -- thousands of residents from four villages
protested in front of the Tangerang Regency Legislative Council
against the conversion of their area into a subdistrict.
While the people protested outside the compound, Tangerang
councillors held a plenary meeting to approve a draft bylaw on
the status change of 77 villages in the regency into several
subdistricts.
The protesters mostly came from four villages -- Salembaran
Jaya, Dadap, Bundar and Kelapa Dua.
Why the residents opposed the move to upgrade their villages
into a subdistrict was unclear, but some speculated that they
were mobilized by village heads who fear that turning their areas
into one subdistrict would force them to lose their posts.
Villages heads are directly elected by the people, while
subdistrict heads are civil servants appointed by regents.
During Monday's protest, local police detective chief Adj.
Comr. Kusnanto, who was trying to appease the angry protesters,
was attacked and beaten up by the mob. He sustained serious head
wounds.
The protesters also damaged a number of vehicles parked in
Tiga Raksa office complex of Tangerang regency.
So far, police have arrested seven protesters from Dadap and
Selembaran Java villages.
The protest turned violent when the protesters tried to enter
the council building guarded by hundreds of police officers.
When Salembaran Jaya village head Jayusman came out of the
council building, some protesters chased after him and threw
stones at him. He, however, escaped from the mob and quickly got
into his car and sped away.
Witnessing the situation, Kusnanto tried to calm the
protesters, but the angry mob beat him up. That prompted police
officers guarding the council building to fire warning shots,
which effectively dispersed them.
In the meantime, Tangerang councillors delayed the endorsement
of the draft bylaw indefinitely on Monday. No reason was given
for the decision.
The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Following the stepping down of president Soeharto in May 1998,
people in many regions around the country have held protests
demanding that their areas be upgraded into provinces, regencies,
districts and subdistricts.
What happened in Tangerang, Banten on Monday was, however,
just the opposite -- thousands of residents from four villages
protested in front of the Tangerang Regency Legislative Council
against the conversion of their area into a subdistrict.
While the people protested outside the compound, Tangerang
councillors held a plenary meeting to approve a draft bylaw on
the status change of 77 villages in the regency into several
subdistricts.
The protesters mostly came from four villages -- Salembaran
Jaya, Dadap, Bundar and Kelapa Dua.
Why the residents opposed the move to upgrade their villages
into a subdistrict was unclear, but some speculated that they
were mobilized by village heads who fear that turning their areas
into one subdistrict would force them to lose their posts.
Villages heads are directly elected by the people, while
subdistrict heads are civil servants appointed by regents.
During Monday's protest, local police detective chief Adj.
Comr. Kusnanto, who was trying to appease the angry protesters,
was attacked and beaten up by the mob. He sustained serious head
wounds.
The protesters also damaged a number of vehicles parked in
Tiga Raksa office complex of Tangerang regency.
So far, police have arrested seven protesters from Dadap and
Selembaran Java villages.
The protest turned violent when the protesters tried to enter
the council building guarded by hundreds of police officers.
When Salembaran Jaya village head Jayusman came out of the
council building, some protesters chased after him and threw
stones at him. He, however, escaped from the mob and quickly got
into his car and sped away.
Witnessing the situation, Kusnanto tried to calm the
protesters, but the angry mob beat him up. That prompted police
officers guarding the council building to fire warning shots,
which effectively dispersed them.
In the meantime, Tangerang councillors delayed the endorsement
of the draft bylaw indefinitely on Monday. No reason was given
for the decision.