Rioting continues in Cilacap

Rioting continues in Cilacap

By Agus Maryono

CILACAP, Central Java (JP): Hundreds of outraged fishermen
went on another rampage here yesterday, vandalizing and looting
the houses of fishery bosses while outnumbered troops were
instructed to shoot rioters on the spot if necessary.

There were no reports of casualties as of last night.

Thousands of fishermen ran amok in the area Friday morning,
the violence subsiding only late that night.

The new wave of rioting began at 7 p.m. yesterday as fishermen
began throwing stones at and looting the houses of their bosses,
many of whom are Chinese-Indonesians. Other public facilities,
such as the South Cilacap Town Hall and a marketplace on Jl.
Tidar in Central Cilacap, were also attacked.

The dozens of houses vandalized and looted yesterday were
mostly on Jl. Tidar, Jl. Klapa Lima, Jl. Veteran, Jl. Dayung, Jl.
Dukuh Baleng and Jl. Panjaitan.

Almost simultaneously, mobs again attacked the Nusantara
Fishery Port -- where the rioting first started on Friday -- but
were quickly restrained by security forces.

Banyumas Police chief Col. Isnandar, military resort chief
Col. M. Noer Muis, Cilacap military district chief Lt. Col.
Basuki Kuntadi and Cilacap Police Precinct chief Lt. Col. Andi
Lolo were at the scene. Isnandar called on his men to take tough
measures, ordering them to even shoot rioters on the spot if
necessary.

Basuki said about 80 percent of the families of the area's 200
fishery bosses -- mostly from Bagansiapi-api in Riau -- had left
the city by yesterday morning over fears of further violence.

"We heard they have fled Cilacap to Jakarta," he said,
expressing regret. He added that many of the families had been
residents since the early 1970s.

Andi Lolo said police had arrested 35 rioters so far, 10 of
whom were suspected for vandalism. Ten others were released
yesterday, while the rest were still under investigation.

Friday's unrest apparently stemmed from anger at Bagansiapi-
api groups of fishermen whom were seen as employing unfair
fishing practices.

In East Java, sporadic looting that began Friday evening in
Situbondo reportedly continued well into yesterday afternoon. The
town is 35 kilometers northeast of Bondowoso, where troops
clamped down on mobs attacking and pillaging rice mills, shops
and plantations on Thursday.

Antara reported yesterday that hundreds of people pillaged a
rice mill in Kapongan on Friday, while hundreds of others looted
rice, sugar and other basic commodities from a shop in Asembagus.