Police Still Calculating Total Damage Following 27 August Night Riots

Jakarta Metropolitan Police (Polda Metro Jaya) has stated that it is still calculating the total value of damage caused by the riots on Thursday night (27/8).

Director of General Criminal Investigation at Polda Metro Jaya, Senior Commissioner Iman Imanuddin, said the loss assessment is being conducted based on both material and immaterial values of the affected public facilities.

“We are currently calculating the material and immaterial losses suffered by the public as well as public facilities that should still be usable and beneficial for the community, but whose function has been disrupted as a result of the riots,” he told reporters on Saturday (29/8).

Iman explained that the riots that night were concentrated in the Pejompongan and Bendungan Hilir areas.

“As for the areas, the rioting occurred at one point in the vicinity of Jalan Pejompongan, Bendungan Hilir,” he explained.

Previously, Polda Metro Jaya arrested a total of 322 people in connection with the demonstration that took place at the DPR/MPR Building on Thursday (27/8).

Head of Public Relations at Polda Metro Jaya, Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto, said the arrests were made following the riots that occurred after the demonstration on that night.

He claimed the arrest of hundreds of people was carried out to stop acts of vandalism, damage to public facilities, and to prevent disturbances to public security and order (Kamtibmas) in the surrounding area.

Budi said this group emerged after the demonstration ended and most of the crowd had left the location. According to him, they deliberately caused disturbances to public order and even attacked officers.

Of the total number arrested, police have named 45 people as suspects. They have also been separated into six different clusters, ranging from the children’s cluster, rioters, damage to public facilities, carriers of sharp weapons, financiers of the riots, to recruiters.