Policeman killed in brawl

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