PON opens with call to maintain national unity
PON opens with call to maintain national unity
By Ivy Susanti and Ainur R. Sophiaan
SURABAYA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri opened
the 15th National Games (PON) at the Delta stadium in Sidoarjo,
some 20 kilometers south of here, on Monday with a strong call to
maintain unity.
Thousands of people, who failed to enter the 35,000-capacity
stadium, turned violent and threw bottles and stones into an open
area in the southern sector, just minutes before Megawati,
husband Taufik Kiemas and their entourage entered the VVIP
section.
No serious injuries were reported and nobody was arrested.
PON spokesman Suprawoto said the incident occurred because
sports enthusiasts who had bought tickets were unable to enter
the stadium.
"The stadium could no longer accommodate more spectators. I
don't know if there are fake tickets. We sold all the tickets
last month to avoid ticket scalpers," he said, adding that 9,000
security officers from the Indonesian Military (TNI), police and
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) were
securing the arena.
In her speech, Megawati called on the participants to maintain
national unity and sportsmanship.
The national unity theme comes at a time when Indonesia faces
growing calls for disintegration, including from Maluku and Irian
Jaya.
After a long deliberation, the National Sports Council (KONI)
finally allowed the Irian contingent to bear two names for their
province, Papua and Irian Jaya, during the quadrennial event
since there has not been any decree to change the name.
Men's karateka Buce Hukunala, a Irian native who lives in
Jakarta, said that almost all his fellow countrymen were strong
supporters of Free Papua Movement.
"All of them support 'M' (an Indonesian abbreviation for
Merdeka or freedom) and not 'O' (an abbreviation for autonomy),"
he said on Monday.
The PON organizers ask the contingent to refer to Irian as a
province, instead of a country. "We agreed with them to separate
politic from sports," said an official who refused to be named.
The Maluku contingent, whose province is facing a prolonged
political conflict which pits Christian against Moslem
inhabitants, expressed their wish for reconciliation.
During the parade in the stadium, they held a banner saying
'Success in achievement, success in reconciliation.'
Scalpers were seen outside the stadium, offering tickets to
onlookers and raising the price from Rp 10,000 to Rp 25,000.
Second Sgt. Fajar B.P. of the Jombang Police injured his left
hand when a stone hit him. Seven-year-old Arin from nearby Mager
Sari village was treated for an injury to her right temple. "She
was hit by a lemonade bottle," her mother explained.
Spectators in the area immediately rushed away and looked for
seats in another section of the stadium.
Two gates in the east and south sectors broke down under the
weight of the crowd.