Protesters storm Kaligis law office

Protesters storm Kaligis law office

JAKARTA (JP): About 500 former employees of a bankrupt shoe
company in Bekasi stormed and vandalized the office of O.C.
Kaligis & Associates law firm on Jl. Majapahit in Central Jakarta
on Wednesday morning.

No injuries were reported in the incident, but glass windows
and doors in the office were shattered. At least one man, whose
identity is being withheld, was detained by police for his
alleged role in the attack.

According to Central Jakarta Police chief Lt. Col. Timur
Pradopo, the workers were angry because the lawsuit they filed
against the majority shareholder of their former company, PT Kong
Tai Indonesia, demanding more severance pay was dismissed
recently by the courts.

The courts ruled in favor of the Hong Kong-Indonesian firm
which produces Reebok sports shoes. The majority shareholder of
the firm, Patrick Tang of Hong Kong, was defended by Kaligis
during the trial.

"This is why they are angry," Timur said.

After vandalizing the office, the former employees demanded
Kaligis resign as lawyer for the Hong Kong-based company, which
owned 80 percent of the bankrupt company. The other 20 percent
was owned by Indonesian George Sangkono.

According to some of the protesters, once O.C. Kaligis began
representing Patrick Tang, the firm's internal regulations on
severance pay changed drastically.

"In the past, the company's management and the employees
agreed to set severance pay at four times our monthly salaries.

"Once Kaligis came it changed to only two times our monthly
salaries," a protester said.

The company went bankrupt on Oct. 1 this year, he added.

He said O.C. Kaligis convinced Patrick Tang to lower the
amount of severance pay given to dismissed employees.

"This is very depressing for us," he said.

Another worker, however, said the former employees were
provoked to attack the building by unidentified people who joined
the protest.

"We just followed them because we're very upset," he said.

Kaligis could not be reached for comment, but sources said the
lawyer was able to flee his office.

Kaligis told a local television station he would "fight to the
death" to defend his client and that no one would be able to
deter him. (01/ylt)