Situation in Bagansiapiapi returns gradually to normal

M. Ara Syaf, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru

Following bloody rioting in Bagansiapiapi, Rokanhilir Regency, Riau, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the situation in the fishing town has gradually returned to normal, according to the local police.

Adj. Sr. Comr. S. Pandiangan, spokesman for the Riau Provincial Police, said the two-day riot ended after hundreds of troops had been deployed to restore security and order and all police personnel had been withdrawn from the small town.

He said that Brig. Gen. Jonny Yodjana, chief of the provincial police, Col. Darmawi Chaidir, chief of the Riau Military District, Adj. Sr. Comr. Imron Korry, chief of the Bengkalis Police Precinct, and Rokanhilir Regent Wan Thamrin were in the town to hold peace talks with the two conflicting ethnic groups and local figures.

Tension in the town increased on Tuesday and Wednesday when one of the two conflicting groups was involved in clashes with local police that claimed two lives.

The ethnic conflict, which involved the burning of 16 houses on Oct. 11, was triggered by a clash between two drunken youths from two different ethnic groups two days beforehand.

Rachmat K., a resident of Bagansiapiapi, confirmed that the town had returned to normal, as most people had resumed their daily activities and many shops were open again.

"The situation has gradually returned to normal, as most residents have resumed their daily activities," he said.

Jonny made an apology for the Oct. 16 bloody incident, which left two civilians dead, and pledged to punish police personnel who had allegedly been involved in the killing.

"On behalf of the police in the province, the provincial police chief makes an apology for the incident, and those involved in the killing will be prosecuted in a tribunal," Pandiangan told a media conference here on Thursday.

"The killing of two civilians was the result of police procedures being violated and the four police officers who opened fire against the two victims are being thoroughly interrogated by the military police," he said.

Around 300 people, mostly Chinese descendants, took refuge in remote, safe areas in the province and were housed in makeshift shelters guarded by soldiers.