Policeman killed in brawl

JAKARTA: Police officers and soldiers were involved in a brawl after competing in a soccer match in eastern Indonesia, leaving one policeman dead and another injured, a regional official said Friday.

It was unclear whether the two forces used their weapons in the fight on Thursday on Flores island, district head Paulinus Domi said by telephone.

The incident is likely to embarrass senior generals who are trying to show that Indonesia's notoriously poorly disciplined security forces have changed as they embark on a major military offensive against separatist rebels in the county's northwestern Aceh province.

Domi said the clash broke out after a police team challenged a military team to a soccer match in the town of Ende on the southern coast of Flores, some 1,660 kilometers east of Jakarta.

He said regional military officials were flying to the island to investigate the clash, but was unable to give any more details.

Fights between police and military officers often break out in towns and cites across the archipelago. Most are triggered by disputes over the illegal and legal businesses that both forces are involved with.

In September, soldiers angry about the arrest of one of their colleagues for allegedly selling drugs attacked a police barracks on Sumatra island, injuring four policemen. --AP