Tension still grips Matraman area

JAKARTA (JP): Matraman in East Jakarta was still tense on Sunday afternoon, with residents of Kebon Manggis and Palmeriam subdistricts preparing for attacks following fresh brawls early on Sunday morning.

Scores of people from Tegalan, Palmeriam, were seen gathering at a security post on the end of Jl. Tegalan 1F at noon on Sunday in anticipation of further battles.

With middle-aged mothers and small children looking on, people, mostly male teenagers and adults, were making Molotov cocktails, catapults and arrows.

A makeshift gate was erected at the entrance to Palmeriam subdistrict from Jl. Matraman Raya, stopping passersby and motorists from entering.

Both sides have repeatedly blamed each other for starting the trouble.

"We never provoke violence. We're merely protecting ourselves from the destructive behavior of Berlan residents," one Palmeriam resident, who asked for anonymity, said.

Berlan is an area in Kebon Manggis.

The man, in his 20s and jobless, said that people in Palmeriam feared that Kebon Manggis locals would burn down their houses if they did not take necessary defensive measures.

Similar tension was evident in Kebon Manggis. Houses were shut in anticipation of new clashes following those of early Sunday morning.

Ignoring a Euro 2000 football game between Italy and Rumania on television, the two camps threw stones and Molotov cocktails at each other in sporadic battles starting from 1 a.m. Air rifles were also fired.

People from both sides were injured in the fighting. A Palmeriam resident was shot in the thigh by an air rifle, another suffered head injuries after being hit by a stone, while one man was hit by a Molotov cocktail.

Other victims were taken to nearby Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, but were released after receiving treatment for minor injuries. Rizki Maulana, 20, from Kebon Manggis, was released after minor surgery resulting from a bullet wound in his stomach.

The headquarters of a machine supply company located next to Bank Rama in Kebon Manggis were set ablaze.

A house on the same street also suffered minor damage after it was hit by a Molotov cocktail.

Dozens of police officers, deployed to the area at 3 a.m, succeeded in bringing about calm.

However, the police have been subject to allegations of taking sides in the brawl, with Palmeriam residents accusing them supporting Kebon Manggis residents.

The brawl ended at 8 a.m, after which residents of both subdistricts returned to their houses.

Report

Ali, a Palmeriam community figure, who is also a member of the Matraman Residents Communication Forum, said on Sunday that Palmeriam residents planned to visit the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) or the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to report the police's conduct during the incident.

"The police were out of control. They brutalized those who were not involved in the brawl," he said, accusing them of kicking and hitting a food vendor.

Governor Sutiyoso urged both sides to settle their own problems.

"The problem lies with the residents themselves because they have been enemies for 30 years. If 90 percent of Jakartans can live in harmony with one another, why can't Mataram residents?" he said on the sidelines of a Delman (horse-drawn carriage) parade at City Hall on Sunday.

The governor, however, underlined that leadership at the local official level was the key factor in settling the dispute.

He said he had dismissed Palmeriam and Kebon Manggis subdistrict heads for their failure to prevent more fighting in the area.

"We expect the new officials to be more proactive in preventing brawls from occurring again in the future," he said. (nvn/ind/asa)