Police post in Galur attack

Police post in Galur attack

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of local residents in Galur district,
Central Jakarta, destroyed a police post and threw its contents
into the Kali Sentiong river yesterday afternoon.

No fatalities were reported as no officers were on duty at the
non-permanent police post, but almost all the contents, such as
files, traffic equipment and wooden shelves, were lost.

The attack was launched following the death of a local
resident, shot in the head by a member of the Johar Baru police
subprecinct on the previous evening.

According to City Police spokesman Lt. Col. A. Latief Rabar,
the policeman, identified as Chief Sergeant Yuliansyah, led a
team at 7 p.m. Wednesday to the subdistrict to follow up reports
of a bitter dispute between locals and residents of Kampung Rawa
district, on Jl. Galur.

The warning shots fired by the police were ignored, Latief
said.

"Due to the large number of residents, the police team failed
to disperse the clash and Yuliansyah was overwhelmed by the
attackers, who intended to get hold of his carbine," he
explained.

Yuliansyah fired his carbine, hitting Chaerul Dasuki, 30, in
the head, the police spokesman said.

He added that Yuliansyah and two of the residents, whose
identities were still withheld by the police, are being
questioned.

The two communities in the area have been involved in many
fights. The latest serious clashes were recorded in September and
December of last year, leaving two dead, including a woman killed
by a stray bullet.

Police and residents said that many ex-prisoners and criminals
reside in the two districts, causing round-the-clock tension.

The attack on the police post on Jl. Suprapto yesterday
occurred at about 3 p.m.

Members of the Central Jakarta police and military precinct
who came to the scene an hour later and residents living next to
the police station told The Jakarta Post that in the beginning
the angry mob wanted to go to the Johar Baru police precinct on
Jl. Tanah Tinggi, which is about three kilometers from their
area.

"On their way there, the crowd turned back as they saw a large
number of police and military members ready to block them," said
a police sergeant.

Fatal shot

Unfortunately, he added, none of the police and military
members were assigned to safeguard the Galur police post.

A resident, who refused to give his name, said: "The security
members came about an hour after the crowd had vented their
anger."

"So, none of the attackers were on the scene when the police
arrived," he added.

Earlier, he said, an hour after the clash of the two
neighborhood communities and the fatal shot, hundreds of the
angry people threw stones and destroyed part of the 12-square-
meter police post.

Lt. Col. Imam Basuki, head of the Central Jakarta military
office, told the Post at the scene that his office was still
investigating the attack.

"I've been informed about the shot last night, but we need to
find out the motive behind the attack on this post," Imam said.

He also admitted that a number of ex-prisoners and criminals
were believed to take part in the clash Wednesday evening and the
destruction of the post yesterday.

Imam, however, refused to comment, saying that he needed to
further discuss the incident with the head of the Central Jakarta
police precinct. (bsr)