Riot breaks out over police beating
Riot breaks out over police beating
By MMI Ahyani
TASIKMALAYA, West Java (JP): Thousands of people went on the
rampage here yesterday over police mistreatment of three local
religious teachers.
So far, no casualties have been reported but dozens of
factories, at least three major department stores, other
commercial facilities, cars, trucks, and other vehicles, a school
and at least three churches were either burnt or damaged.
Three private banks were also stoned by the crowd. The
vandalism and violence started in the afternoon and lasted well
into the night.
The Siliwangi military command, which oversees West Java,
initially deployed about 400 troops to contain the unrest and
later sent additional forces of at least 10 trucks-full of troops
to the town, some 200 kilometers southeast of Jakarta.
Several hours after the first reports on the riot, perpetrated
mostly by students of the local pesantrens (Islamic boarding
schools), some run by Indonesia's largest Moslem organization
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Abdurrahman Wahid issued a statement
condemning the violence.
The chairman of the 30-million strong NU said the incident was
"emotional action by irresponsible people who could disturb
stability, unity and brotherhood between all sections of the
nation."
"It shouldn't have happened, for whatever reasons. I condemn
this incident, even if there were NU members among the
perpetrators," he said.
He expressed concern that there were still community members
who, in the name of religion, vented their emotions in ways that
harmed others.
Witnesses' recounts of the incident varied. Some said the
crowd of residents and students first gathered at around 10 a.m.
in front of the police station in the predominately Moslem town,
demanding that the officers who abused the teachers be handed
over to them.
When the police on duty rejected the demand, the crowd started
to pelt the station with stones. They stopped long enough to say
their midday prayers at the nearby Kaum Mosque before gathering
again at the station.
Witnesses told The Jakarta Post that it was about this time
that a group of unidentified people told the crowd to attack
churches and properties belonging to people of Chinese descent.
There were also witnesses who said the mob became angry
following rumors, which spread quickly but turned out to be
false, that one of the religious teachers, Mahmud Farid, had died
at the hands of the police officers.
The rioters then chased away any police officers they saw on
the streets so by late afternoon no policemen were seen in the
city.
The angry crowd reportedly split into two groups -- the first
headed toward the south of the town, the other went the other
way.
In the southern suburb of Kawalu, the rioters set ablaze a
number of factories. As late as 9 p.m. smoke was still billowing
from the area. People were seen looting the half-burned shops and
factories.
In the northern part of the town, on Jalan Moh. Hatta, a mob
started on a fresh rampage at about 7.30 p.m., setting fire to a
factory.
As soon as they arrived yesterday afternoon, the troops
cordoned off the town and maintained security around government
offices and banks. They sealed three access roads to the town --
those from Ciamis, Singaparna and Malangbong, crippling traffic.
Chief of the Siliwangi military command Maj. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi
was seen entering the regent's office for a briefing but the
authorities have yet to issue a statement about the violence.
By 9 p.m., the city was relatively quiet although rioting was
still seen in outer parts of Tasikmalaya. Witnesses said the
troops were concentrated in the center of town even as the
rioters continued to the south and northern areas.