Police, street vendors clash in Sidoarjo

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Police clashed on Tuesday with hundreds of street vendors protesting in the East Java city of Sidoarjo against the local administration's move to evict them from stalls in the Jl. Gajah Mada area.

Police fired warning shots at least ten times to disperse the protesters, who fled the scene in panic toward Jl. Raden Patah.

There were no reports of casualties.

The clash, which erupted at 9:30 a.m., was sparked by vendors beating plainclothes security personnel who were attempting to park their cars in the area.

The protest also involved local residents living in the nearby Kauman area.

On Monday night, city public order officers had attempted to forcibly remove the street vendors from the Jl. Gajah Mada area because it was to be converted into a parking lot.

The protesters prevented vehicles from parking in the disputed area on Tuesday morning, including those belonging to the plainclothes officers.

"Because we were worried that the situation would become more chaotic, I instructed my members to fire warning shots. Their (the protesters') actions led to the violence," Sidoarjo Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Budi Susilo was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said the police had arrested three people charged with using violence during the protest. They had been detained and would face questioning.