Police records 69 riots between May and August
Police records 69 riots between May and August
JAKARTA (JP): The police recorded 69 cases of unrest across
the country between May and August during which officers arrested
4,828 people, National Police chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said on
Friday.
Speaking at a media conference after a meeting with six
provincial police chiefs, the three-star general did not disclose
the number of fatalities or estimated the amount of material
losses caused by the riots, which have further battered the
country's ailing economy.
According to Roesmanhadi, 23 of the recorded riots were
triggered by ethnic issues, 16 by political factors, 15 by
economic reasons, six by (improper) law enforcement and the
remaining nine had yet to be identified.
"We're still probing the remaining cases in the hope to
further develop our strategy to prevent and anticipate any
possible renewed nationwide unrest," he said.
The general hinted that major riots occurred in several cities
in North Sumatra, Central Java, East Java, East Kalimantan and
South Sulawesi.
Out of the 4,828 people nabbed during the disturbances, 867
had been named as suspects with 267 of these having been put on
trial, he explained.
The world witnessed one of the major riots that hit the
country in mid-May when the capital Jakarta turned into a quasi-
war zone during three days of continuous unrest, looting and
burning.
The authorities later announced that 1,190 people were trapped
and burned to death, 27 killed by gunshots and dozens of others
injured. Hundreds of buildings were set ablaze and emptied by
looters, causing billions of rupiah in losses.
Roesmanhadi vowed to take stern action against those who
wanted to benefit from the uncertain circumstances due to the
ongoing political and economic turmoil.
"We're serious about handling riots," he said.
According to the general, the current situation had
similarities with the conditions in the wake of the failed
communist coup attempt in September 1965.
"In 1965, people were also facing economic problems over which
they were easily provoked as well as uncertain political and
social circumstances," Roesmanhadi said.
"It's just like what we're experiencing nowadays."
"That's why pak Wiranto warned us about the threat of latent
communism which is not groundless at all," Roesmanhadi said,
referring to Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces
Commander Gen. Wiranto who said on Thursday that communists might
have been behind the seemingly endless nationwide protests of the
past few weeks.
Only last week, a fresh riot erupted in Bagansiapi-api in Riau
province following rumors that Chinese-Indonesians had killed a
native Indonesian. Some 400 buildings were burned but no
fatalities reported.
A number of similar incidents with different backgrounds also
occurred just this month in Kebumen, Central Java, and the North
Sumatra capital of Medan.
During the media conference Roesmanhadi also disclosed that
the police had seized some four million metric tons of rice in
five provinces during their operations to uncover those
responsible for the scarcity of rice in the country.
Half of the amount was confiscated in Jakarta, he said.
Roesmanhadi did not disclose the results of his meeting with
the police chiefs of West Java, Central Java, East Java, Bali,
North Sumatra and Riau.
"It was just a routine weekly meeting," he said.
He, however, warned people over the escalating vehicle thefts
and violent robberies that had occurred in many parts of the
country.
Police, he said, arrested at least 733 suspects in crimes in
the above two categories in 12 provinces in the May-to-August
period.
Roesmanhadi asked for public participation to create security
and tranquility and to help the police do its job. (emf)