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.