Riot-induced losses 40 percent more than city budget

Riot-induced losses 40 percent more than city budget

JAKARTA (JP): The three days of rioting in the city has left
5,000 buildings worth Rp 2.5 trillion damaged.

The figure, which is 40 percent higher than the city budget
for this fiscal year, was announced last night by Coordinating
Minister for Economy, Finance and Industry/Chairman of the
National Development Planning Board Ginandjar Kartasasmita before
a meeting with President Soeharto.

According to Ginandjar, the damaged and gutted buildings
included 534 bank offices and branches.

"The destruction of offices and banks did not only disturb
local trading activities, but damaged the whole trading system
and our national economy," he said.

He gave no estimates for damage and loss of merchandise and
vehicles.

Rioting from Wednesday to Friday cost 500 lives and left most
Jakartans living in fear.

However, the capital and surrounding areas had begun to return
to normal again yesterday.

Some shops and traditional markets were open, although only a
handful of customers were received all day.

"At least we could open for business like on normal days,"
Wati, a street seller in Bekasi, said.

Taxis, buses and other public transportation vehicles also
returned to the city's streets.

Many Jakartans spent their weekend touring areas damaged
during the rioting.

Local authorities sent out teams to clear wrecked vehicles and
debris from the city's streets.

"It's a dreadful scene. I have no idea whether or not
businesspeople wanted to rebuild this shopping center, which used
to be a landmark for people like me who live in this area,"
Triana said, referring to the Slipi Jaya shopping center on Jl.
S. Parman in West Jakarta.

In many riot-torn areas, the owners of damaged businesses and
their employees returned to where they work to inspect damage and
begin the slow process of rebuilding their livelihoods.

Street sweepers were busy removing glass and iron buckled by
flames from Glodok in West Jakarta, the area worst hit last
week.

Meanwhile, on the city's main streets armored vehicles and
dozens of army personnel, mostly from the Strategic Army Reserves
Command, Jakarta Military Command and the Marine Corps stood
guard.

In East Jakarta, a minivan driver threw a newspaper at the
gutted toll booth on the Kampung Rambutan toll road and shouted
"You take my Rp 500!", as though paying his toll fee.

City residents expressed hopes that the riots had now ended.
"We hope our nightmare is now over," Dimyati Bahar, a shop
attendant at Permata Hijau shopping center in West Jakarta, said.

She worried that major student rallies scheduled to be staged
in Jakarta from tomorrow might exacerbate the situation in the
city.

Bodies

Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital medical staff have
identified 263 of the hundreds of bodies taken to the hospital
since Friday.

Twenty three were the bodies of women.

In Tangerang, staff from the local general hospital disclosed
that 50 corpses had been brought in from gutted shopping centers
yesterday, 43 of which were discovered in Lippo Supermal in
Karawaci.

The death toll was calculated by counting skulls or other
recognizable body parts. Hundreds of plastic bags containing
unidentified human remains are being held in the hospital's
morgue.

Cipto Mangunkusumo forensic expert Bambang HP thought that
more bodies would be recovered from wrecked shopping centers.

"But I believe that most bodies will be difficult to identify
because they will be badly charred and decomposed," Bambang told
reporters.

As of yesterday, only 66 bodies had been identified by
relatives at the hospital, but not all had been taken for burial.

According to Bambang, the remains -- if not claimed by
relatives -- will be buried in a mass grave in Pondok Rangon
Cemetery in East Jakarta and a public cemetery in Tangerang
today.

The bodies were recovered from Plaza Central Klender and Plaza
Jatinegara in East Jakarta, Plaza Slipi Jaya in West Jakarta,
Ramayana Palmerah in Central Jakarta, Ramayana Koja in North
Jakarta, and Plaza Ciledug and Lippo Supermal in Tangerang.

A day earlier, Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Wahab
Mokodongan told a news conference that the death toll stood
officially at 499 at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

At least 14 police posts were badly damaged during the
riots.

They were located in Krekot, Petojo, Roxy, Mangga Dua,
Megaria, Matraman, Tomang, Jelambar, Setiabudi, Utan Kayu,
Cawang, Rawa Bening, Pulomas and Cililitan.

Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said the force
had temporarily rented nearby buildings until their posts were
rebuilt. In other cases, duties were being transferred to nearby
police stations.

"For instance, Megaria police post duties have been
transferred to Taman Surapati police post, both in Central
Jakarta," he said.

Tailors were also set to work making new uniforms to replace
those burned in the rioting.

Three thousand vehicle registration documents belonging to the
public were also incinerated.

"We will give free services from today for those requiring new
documents," Aritonang said.

As of midday yesterday, police had arrested 1,214 looters.

"Two hundred have been released," Aritonang said.

In a related development yesterday, the Jakarta Legal Aid
Institute set up a monitoring post to help victims of the riots,
director Apong Herlina said.

Those who wish to provide shelter to those who lost their
homes should contact the institute on 390 4226/27 or 314-5518.
(bsr/prb/ind/edt/emy/41)