Seaman dies in bar attack

JAKARTA (JP): A seaman was attacked and killed in a bar at the busy Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Wednesday morning.

Kupang native Ronny Markus Doko, 36, was found dead near the Bohusami bar on Jl. Bugis with wounds to his head. A witness, Dolop Rede, said the victim was attacked by at least 12 other seamen from the Palopo district in Sulawesi.

"The tension between the Palopo natives and other ethnic groups has been running high for quite a long time here. There have been disputes and fights," Rede said, adding that the victim was a regular at the bar when his ship, Freedom Waves, was docked at the port.

"Perhaps, Ronny, who liked to drink, said or did something that enraged the seamen from Palopo, leading to the attack," Rede, a relative of the victim, said.

Meanwhile, police said they were questioning several people who witnessed the attack. The bar is a known hangout for seamen whose ships are docked at the port. (01)