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)