Suspects pursued in Golkar stage arson

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces has vowed to track down all those who burned down a stage in Pekalongan, Central Java, which had been erected for speeches by Golkar leaders.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono, National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Dibyo Widodo and Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Slamet Supryiadi separately told reporters yesterday that the authorities were continuing to pursue the culprits.

Supriyadi said 16 people had been questioned, but none detained. "We only reprimanded them and warned them against repeating their actions," he said. "The Armed Forces will take serious measures against them if they commit similar actions in future."

He said no one died in the incident that occurred in the coastal town some 300 kilometer east of Jakarta.

Dibyo said, "We will capture the rioters."

Golkar deputy chairwoman Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, the singer and Golkar candidate for the national legislature, Rhoma Irama, and preacher Zainuddin M.Z. were scheduled to entertain Golkar supporters yesterday on the stage at the campus of Al Quran pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Buaran village, Pekalongan.

The venue had been decorated in Golkar's yellow.

On Monday afternoon, hundreds of people with Molotov cocktails burned down the stage and tents, which had been erected for guests.

"Only the stage was damaged. No houses, shops or vehicles were burned," Supriyadi said.

He said the riot had erupted after the organizers of the Golkar gathering had taken down the flags of the three political groupings: Golkar's yellow flags, the United Development Party's (PPP) green flags and the Indonesian Democratic Party's (PDI) red flags.

According to an agreement by local representatives of the three groupings, no political colors or symbols should have been displayed in the area after March 1.

Some say the incident erupted because supporters were upset that their parties' colors were being taken down while Golkar's yellow stage was being erected.

"They (the rioters) will be dealt with strongly. No mercy for them," Supriyadi said.

Hartono said, "People failed to reason... the Pekalongan incident occurred because of mistakes in the way people saw things.

"Those people had probably misperceived the position of singer Rhoma Irama in a certain political grouping," he said.

Rhoma Irama recently jumped ship from the PPP and declared his allegiance to the ruling Golkar. He had publicly supported the PPP in previous election campaigns.

There has been speculation that the rioters were PPP supporters who were upset because the party's request to hold a gathering at Pekalongan had been rejected by local authorities.

Separately, reports came yesterday that rioters attacked the homes of ethnic Chinese around Pekalongan during a rampage apparently triggered by reports of Rhoma Irama's change in political allegiance.

"A number of houses belonging to the Chinese have been either damaged or burned," a resident said by phone from Pekalongan.

Police said the situation was under control, but refused to give further details. Residents said police and troops were patrolling the streets, but there were no reports of casualties.

"We don't dare to go out. Many shops are closed and soldiers are seen in many parts of the town," a resident said by phone.

"It seems that the target is the Chinese even though they have nothing to do with what has happened," another resident said. (swe/imn)