Residents attack vehicle

JAKARTA (JP): Last week's scenes of mobs stoning and burning vehicles that hit pedestrians or other vehicles were nearly repeated a third time on the weekend.

But security officers managed Saturday to prevent a Suzuki Escudo jeep from being burnt.

Residents stoned and overturned the jeep after it hit a couple on Jl. Samanhudi, in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.

A Jakarta Police sergeant said Harno, a City Police Headquarters sergeant, was riding a motorcycle with his wife, Indah Sulastri, when they were hit by the jeep at about 10 a.m.

"Harno suffered minor injuries and Sulastri broke her leg. She was rushed to hospital," the officer said.

The jeep's driver, Edward, 35, escaped and surrendered himself to a nearby police station when on-lookers started to throw stones at his jeep.

Dozens of locals and passersby smashed the jeep's windows with stones, he said.

They became angrier when the driver, a resident of Pluit, in North Jakarta, escaped, he said. "They then overturned the jeep."

Two police officers tried to calm the crowd but failed, he said.

They called for back up when it appeared the crowd was determined to burn the jeep. Dozens of police arrived and dispersed the crowd.

Two buses were set on fire in separate incidents on Monday and Friday in South and Central Jakarta, for killing two people.

A Kopaja bus was stoned and set on fire by residents after it hit and killed Dwi, an eight-year-old girl, on Jl. Warung Buncit, in South Jakarta. Dwi Handayani died on the way to the hospital.

The second incident occurred on Jl. Let. Jend. Suprapto, Friday when a Metro Mini bus hit and killed Wahyudi, a hotel employee. Wahyudi, a Gran Melia Hotel telephone operator, was riding a motorcycle with his girlfriend when the bus hit them. (jun)