Policemen still unable to end Manggarai brawls

JAKARTA (JP): Security officers have failed to curb brawls which have erupted between Manggarai residents over the past two months.

Local police and military officers could do nothing but watch two groups of people attack and stone each other, a resident said on Saturday about the latest outbreak.

"The 'warring groups' have attacked policemen and military officers," Slamet Riyadi said.

A policeman, who asked not to be identified, said that the fighting took place every night. "We just watch," he told The Jakarta Post.

The reasons behind the clashes between the residents of Menteng Jaya, Central Jakarta and the residents of South Manggarai in South Jakarta are unknown. These areas are close to the military police headquarters.

The policeman said that police had sponsored a "peace" meeting which seemed to work for a few days. The brawls broke out again just days after the meeting.

The latest brawl occurred on Friday night. Hundreds of residents, including housewives, attacked and stoned each other from 10 p.m. to about 2 in the morning. Some people were injured.

The police source said that a man was detained for allegedly masterminding the fight.

The brawls have caused problems to both the local inhabitants and motorists. Police said that the mob had also thrown stones at passing cars.

Another resident said his neighbors had been woken up almost every night by the commotion. "We never sleep soundly."

"I hope the security officers can control the situation soon, or things will grow worse," he said.

What the residents are worrying about is fire.

Police said that no third party is involved in the clash. "We believe that trivial things have caused the fighting," the officer said. (32)