Two killed in separate group clash incidents

JAKARTA (JP): City police stepped up measures to keep tension at bay on Monday following the death of two people in separate clashes involving people of different ethnic groups.

A resident of Jiban alley, Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta, died from stab wounds in a brawl in Kebayoran Lama traditional market on Monday. Iwan Setiawan's murder came just after an overnight incident in Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, in which a local resident, Asikin, 25, who lived on Jl. Jatibunder in Kebon Melati subdistrict, was killed.

A meeting was held between police and military officials following the clashes.

"The two brawls are not connected. In any case, at least 400 police officers have been deployed in Tanah Abang, Kebayoran Lama and other potential hot spots in both Central and South Jakarta," city police chief Insp. Gen. Mulyono Sulaiman said on Monday after a meeting with Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo.

Mulyono said several witnesses were being questioned in connection with the brawls.

He further denied speculation that ethnic animosity had sparked the clashes, which local residents in Tanah Abang say were between Madurese and Minangkabau migrants.

"Please do not emphasize this issue about two different ethnic groups ... do not try to cause unnecessary tension. There is enough tension as it is," Mulyono said on Monday.

Tension was evident in Kebayoran market and surrounding areas, with some 500 police officers deployed to maintain order.

According to South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Bambang Widaryatmo, the Kebayoran Lama brawl occurred because of a minor motorcycle accident in which nobody was hurt.

"The accident was a very minor one, and nobody expected the brawl between the two groups to escalate," Bambang said on Monday.

Separately, residents of Kebon Mangga III alley in Kebayoran Lama told a slightly different story on Monday.

They claimed that the clash occurred at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, when a man riding a Kawasaki motorcycle came close to hitting a pedestrian who was crossing the street.

"As a result, both the motorist and the pedestrian traded verbal insults," Ira, a Kebon Mangga III resident, said.

Scared, the motorcyclist fled, she added.

"Two hours later, people from a certain ethnic group suddenly attacked those of another ethnic group, leaving three people injured."

Meanwhile, Budiman, a youth in the area, said the police arrived on Sunday night and tried to reconcile the two groups, namely Betawi and Madurese.

He said elders of both ethnic groups promised to prevent more fights. But at about 4 a.m. on Monday, Iwan Setiawan and some friends conducted ID checks on people on the streets and ask about their origins.

"This angered a certain ethnic group, and so people started looking for Iwan. When they got him, they killed him," Budiman said.

Tanah Abang residents said that the Sunday night brawl was the climax of a series of fights between people from Madura and Minangkabau.

"Leaders of the two groups made a verbal peace pact following the clash. But the residents themselves were not satisfied ... they kept on fighting. Suddenly we heard that the fights reached Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta," Ami, a nearby satay seller, said.

According to sources in the South Jakarta Police, Iwan was trying to flee several people when they caught and stabbed him in Kebayoran Lama market. The people chased him down before beating him to death.

"We believe that this brawl originated from the Tanah Abang brawl on Sunday, in which Asikin died. Asikin was a resident of Tanah Abang, but he usually hung out in the Kebayoran Lama area," a police source said on Monday. (ylt)