Two injured in Senen clash

JAKARTA (JP): A clash erupted near the Senen Atrium shopping center on Friday between local residents and street vendors in Central Jakarta, injuring at least two traders, an officer said.

Deputy chief of the Senen police precinct, Capt. Sutrisno, said no one had been arrested so far in connection with the clash.

Based on a preliminary police investigation, the angry residents rushed to the trading site of the street vendors to close down their kiosks under the Senen flyover for reasons which remained unclear to the police.

"We're still probing the case. But the traders said the residents might be still unhappy with their presence even though the vendors had earlier moved -- under the request of the locals -- from their previous site in a park right in front of the Atrium building," officer Sutrisno said.

The traders said that the residents armed themselves with weapons during the clash.

"The vendors said they had no choice but to face off with the angry residents," he added.

One of the vendors, A. Nainggolan, said the clash was the second of such incidents in two months.

"At the time they came here with sharp weapons and wooden sticks. They injured one of my colleagues and tried to ruin our kiosks," Nainggolan said.

The vendors then agreed to the locals' demands and moved their kiosks to the site under the flyover.

"We thought the issue had been settled," Nainggolan said sadly.

Nainggolan emotionally accused the management of the Senen Atrium of having paid the residents to conduct the attack, saying that the vendors' operation in the area had affected business at the shopping center.

"We are indeed suspicious about their role in the attack," he added.

The vendors, selling pirated VCDs and various items of apparel, agreed to resume their business under the flyover on Saturday, he said.

"We'll welcome the locals if they want to sit with us and peacefully talk in order to resolve the matter. But they cannot come here and ruin our kiosks," Nainggolan said. (06)