Shoe maker killed in clash

JAKARTA (JP): A 25-year-old shoe maker who was stabbed in the neck during a clash in Bekasi on Tuesday died in the intensive care unit of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital yesterday.

According to his brothers, Edy Elong of Jl. Cipendawa in Bojong Menteng subdistrict, East Bekasi, was injured during a revenge attack on a group of four youths on Jl. Raya Narogong.

One of Edy's brothers, David, 16, said the group had pelted him and a second brother, Aat, with stones the night before when they refused a request for money.

"Aat and I were going to a nearby telecommunications shop to make a call to Padang in West Sumatra at about 11 p.m. on Monday," he recalled. "But the shop was closed, so we turned back for home."

"The four youths stopped us outside the shop and asked for money. We told them that we only had money for a phone call and walked on.

"We had gone about three meters when the group started to throw stones at us, so we ran and caught a bus home," David said.

When he heard about the attack, Edy asked David, Aat and another brother, Rul, to seek out the youths and take revenge.

They met the group and a scuffle began. Edy was stabbed then the four youths fled, returning shortly with 50 local people as reinforcements.

"They told the villagers we were thieves," said David.

After explaining the real story to the villagers, Edy was rushed to Bekasi General Hospital, from where he was transferred to Cipto Mangunkusumo due to the lack of adequate equipment at the first hospital.

David said that none of the four youths had been arrested by police.

Edy's corpse was to be buried yesterday at a cemetery in Rawamangun, East Jakarta. (ivy)