Youth attack shop-house site

JAKARTA (JP): A nearly completed shop-house building was attacked by a group of youths on Jl. R.E. Martadinata in North Jakarta on Wednesday following a land dispute but no arrests were made following the incident.

North Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Andi Chaeruddin said that when police arrived at the scene the rioters had already fled.

"But we are still studying the case right now. What were the possible motives and who were the people behind the attack?" he added.

Andi confirmed that, on Wednesday, hundreds of men came to the construction site of a shop-house, which was maintained by PT Sarana Jaya Ancol.

"We have little information on this matter but we are processing this case while waiting for complaints made by PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol over the damage," Andi told The Jakarta Post.

Witnesses said the youths admitted that they came from areas such as Cilincing, Kalibaru (both in North Jakarta) and as far away as Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and were organized by Hercules.

Hercules, formerly known as the leader of a gang of hoodlums operating in the busy Tanah Abang area, was seen accompanying a man, identified only as Tommy.

The youths did not immediately attack the building when they arrived at the site at around 11 a.m. They just stood in front of the half-completed building while their leaders talked to an official from PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol.

They then started to shout, demanding lunch until one of them pelted stones at the windows of the building. Mayhem then erupted.

They were not only attacking the building but also intimidating construction workers who fled the scene in fear.

"They (the youths) also pulled out cables from inside the building, using stones to cut them. They took the cut cables with them," a witness said.

A man in an army uniform was reportedly passing the location and fired at least three warning shots to stop the commotion but the shots were ignored by the group.

The youths became peaceful when lunch packages were sent to the location. They dispersed peacefully after lunch. (leo/emf)