Two killed, 10 wounded in brawl near Mataram

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Mataram, Nusa Tenggara Barat

Two people were killed and 10 others were seriously injured after a brawl between rival hamlets broke out in Pagutan subdistrict here on Friday early morning.

The two people who died, Anwar, 27, and Mujahir, 50, were residents of Peresak hamlet. Anwar was fatally shot in the back of his head, while Mujahir was shot in the face.

Eight out of the 10 people wounded were also from Peresak hamlet, while the remaining two were from its neighboring rival, Karang Genteng hamlet, which is located within the administrative boundaries of the West Nusa Tenggara capital, Mataram.

The victims were hit by bullets and arrows.

The cause of the feud is still not entirely, but apparently it was prompted by a previous conflict that occurred between the residents of the two hamlets on Dec. 29 last year.

This earlier conflict stemmed from a dispute between youths from the two hamlets. It began when one of Karang Genteng youths was riding a motorcycle past Peresak hamlet. He was reprimanded by Peresak residents for speeding.

Enraged by this, the Karang Genteng youth later returned with friends to Peresak hamlet and attack residents. A brawl resulted, during which two people received bullet and arrow wounds.

In order to prevent the conflict from escalating further, the police sent reinforcement personnel to the area, who then searched houses in the two hamlets for arms.

The police seized dozens of sharp weapons and firearms of various kinds, including a homemade rifle, bows and arrows, machetes and other weapons, from the residents of the two hamlets. Police also charged six suspects with having instigated the incident.

A few days after the brawl, the police organized a meeting between the leaders of the two hamlets, at which they were encouraged to sign an accord stating that they agreed to bury the hatchet.

The leaders did so, but less than a month intervened before the latest fatal brawl erupted early on Friday morning.

After Friday's incident, the police tightened security in the area, and commenced another search of homes in the two hamlets.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Benny Mokallu, the chief of the Mataram Police, said that 386 police officers were searching homes and conducting patrols in the area.

Inter-community feuds and brawls are common in Pagutan subdistrict, which is located on Lombok island, a resort island next to Bali.

Over the last six years, more than 10 such brawls have taken place in the subdistrict. The biggest one was in October 1998, when nine people were killed and some 50 houses were burned down after a brawl between the residents of two hamlets.