Seven killed in Mamuju clashes

Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Seven people were killed and several others seriously injured in a series of violent clashes among villagers in Batuampa village, Mamuju regency, some 470 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Makassar.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Johny S. Supu, chief of the Mamuju Police Precinct told The Jakarta Post by telephone on Friday that two victims were killed in the first clash that occurred on Wednesday while five others died during the following days.

"The local police have deployed a company of security personnel but the village is still in a tense calm," he said.

He said the police were still on alert as the two conflicting villages had traded threats of attacks.

"We have held dialogs with local religious figures to help prevent the conflict from spreading to other villages," he said.

The dead victims were Hamdan, Sjafar, Hasanuddin, Gondrong, Kamal, Nasir and Iskandar. Several injured victims were still undergoing intensive treatment in the general hospital in the regency, he said.

Johny said the clash was triggered by a scuffle between two youths and it extended to a series of clashes between two bigger groups in the village.

"Eyewitnesses said that the riots were triggered by a quarrel between two youths," he said.

Asked about suspects, Johny said no arrests had been made because a thorough investigation was still in progress.

"According to eyewitnesses, Hamdan and Sjafar instigated the clash but they were killed in the incident," he said.

He said the police have interviewed 12 villagers who witnessed the incident but they could not be declared as suspects as the police were still collecting evidence.