Top security alert imposed, violence flares up in E. Java
Top security alert imposed, violence flares up in E. Java
SURABAYA, East Java (JP): As police called for a top security
alert throughout the country amid the heightened tension between
members of the political elite, riots hit several towns of East
Java province on Monday when thousands of self-proclaimed
supporters of President Abdurrahman Wahid rampaged at public
facilities, schools and offices of opposing political parties.
National Police chief contoller of patrols, Brig. Gen.
Sylvanus Wenas announced the full alert as he inspected the
readiness of police officers posted in the compound of the House
of Representatives in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
Meanwhile, East Java, the President's stronghold, had been
declared as subject to top security alert status since last
Friday.
More violence hit several towns in the province, involving the
mobs claiming to be supporters of embattled President
Abdurrahman, who is at the brink of impeachment.
They rampaged school buildings, burned the offices of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and the United
Development Party, put up road blocks and vandalized public
facilities.
Those incidents erupted at almost the same time, between 9
a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
On Monday afternoon, a total of 30 people were arrested by the
Pasuruan and Sidoarjo police in relation to the violence,
according to chief of operations and control of the East Java
police Sr. Comr. Sabur W.S.
"The people were arrested in Pasuruan and Sidoarjo, but they
have all been handed over to East Java police for further
questioning," he told reporters in Surabaya.
There were no reports yet of injuries, despite the damage
caused by the fierce protests.
In Sidoarjo, thousands of people arriving on a number of
trucks went to a Muhammadiyah school compound where they threw
stones at the building. They were armed with sickles, axes and
sticks.
Hundreds of high school students who were sitting their
nationwide final examinations, ran out of their classrooms in
fear.
Hundreds of personnel from the local Mobile Brigade police and
the infantry battalion came later, firing warning shots to
disperse the angry people in order to prevent further violence.
The attackers also clashed with security personnel, during
which a vehicle used by the rioters was seriously damaged.
In Pasuruan, similar destructive action also took place.
Around 50 motorcyclists suddenly entered the compound of
Muhammadiyah schools in Bangil district and shattered windows and
set ablaze the furniture and other items inside the schools'
cooperative shop.
Muhammadiyah was once chaired by Amien Rais, chairman of the
National Mandate Party (PAN), a staunch critic of the President.
Amien is still regarded as a central figure in the Muslim
organization.
Still in Pasuruan, groups of people, armed with sickles and
sticks, torched the office building of the local chapter of PDI
Perjuangan. Police personnel fired warning shots to disperse the
crowd. In total, at least three PDI Perjuangan offices and posts
were damaged in the town.
Meanwhile in the early hours of Monday, the residence of M.
Chozin, treasurer at the local PAN in Mulyasari, East Surabaya,
was hit by firecrackers and homemade Molotov cocktails. The
terrace, roof and the windows of the house were broken.
"My neighbors spotted that three people in a passing Opel
Blazer did that (the attacks). They accelerated away after the
explosives hit my house," Chozin said.
Antara reported that in other parts of the province such as
Jember and Pamekasan, thousands of Abdurrahman's supporters held
protests against the calls for a special session of the People's
Consultative Assembly.
In other major cities throughout the country, as in the
capital of West Java, Bandung, the capital city of Bali,
Denpasar, in Yogyakarta and also in Makassar, the capital city of
South Sulawesi the security situation was relatively calm.
In Jakarta, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi
told reporters that should chaotic situations occur, police would
"systematically use tear gas and if rioters still continued and
the situation worsened, police would not hesitate to use rubber
bullets ... and later live bullets."
No significant incidents occurred in the capital in connection
with the President's announcement of the executive order.
Separately, the chief of Indonesian Military (TNI), Adm.
Widodo Adisucipto, said his troops were also in a state of
readiness to back up police throughout the country.
He also called on the political leaders to "issue statements
that will not drive their supporters to react with anarchic
actions."
"Show statesmanlike behavior because that's what is needed
(from them) now by their followers," Widodo added.
(ylt/nur/27/25/zen/02)