Riot rocks Lombok after bus station closure
Riot rocks Lombok after bus station closure
JAKARTA (JP): About two hundred public van drivers ran amok in
the small West Nusa Tenggara town of Praya in Central Lombok
yesterday morning, attacking two bus stations and a government
office, the military said.
Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Slamet Supriadi said here
last night the drivers went on the rampage in protest over the
closing of an old bus station before the new one was finished.
Praya is 35 kilometers southwest of the province's capital,
Mataram.
"There were no casualties or arrests. Life has returned to
normal out there thanks to the quick handling of the riots by
security authorities," Slamet told The Jakarta Post.
He ruled out any political motive behind the riot, the first
since security authorities quelled an ethnic clash in West
Kalimantan just recently.
"There was a misunderstanding between the local government and
the group of public transport drivers," Slamet said.
The Central Lombok authorities had closed the old terminal
before the new terminal was ready to operate, said Slamet.
The drivers also protested last week because the new terminal
is outside the town. The old one was close to the downtown
market, he said.
The drivers claimed their incomes were reduced because people
were reluctant to use the new terminal.
Antara reported that the mob stoned Regent Ircham's office on
Jl. Gajah Mada after vandalizing the old terminal's buildings. A
shop and the house of the new terminal's developer were also
attacked.
Slamet said the protesters smashed window panes and two garden
lamps when they mobbed the regent's office. "They attacked the
government building just because it was near the old terminal."
Military and police troops from the province's capital were
deployed to help local authorities restore order.
An agreement was reached late yesterday between the local
authorities and the drivers to reopen the old terminal pending
the completion of the new terminal, said Slamet.
Neither local military nor top police officers in Lombok could
be reached for comment.
An officer on duty at the Central Lombok military office said
his commander was out on night patrol with other police and local
government officials. (amd)