Jakarta – The police are hunting suspected rioters who attacked and set fire to the Taman Sari Subregency Office, West Jakarta. Some of them are already known. According to the West Jakarta police resort chief who was contacted Saturday (25/7), they are seasonal workers who have lately come to work as tricycle drivers.
The attack and arson took place on Friday night (24/7), around 21.45 hours. Provisional reports mention that 17 vehicles and one motorcycle were burned in that incident. The subregent's office in the Artha Centre was set afire, but the fire did not spread because local personnel put the fire out quickly.
Only two rooms on the second floor were burned. Although two doors were broken down, administrative activities could continue as no archives were burned.
According to police resort chief Lt. Col Timur Pradopo, the suspects came from several tricycle bases in Sawah Besar, particularly from the Karang Anyar neighborhood. Three eyewitnesses have already been interrogated by the police.
Witnesses reported that on that Friday night at least 300 persons attacked the subregent's office and tried to set fire to it. The attack is thought to be related to the operation against tricycles launched by security personnel from the Taman Sari Subregency during the day on Friday. Twenty tricycles operating in the Ketapang Utara and Pecah Kulit areas of Mangga Besar were snared.
Around 20.45 p.m. a security member of the Taman Sari subregency received information on a crowd of tricycle drivers in the Mangga Besar Raya intending to storm the subregency office. He quickly informed the Taman Sari military rayon command and sector police.
On the way he met the angry mob, pedaling at speed towards the subregency office. They were carrying knives, samurai swords, chains, stones, gasoline and kerosene in bottles. Arriving at the subregency office, they quickly entered through the back and front doors. They quickly set fire to a motorbike, smashed car windshields, broke windows and two back doors to the subregency office. Several persons were seen to be pouring gasoline and then setting fire to it.
The mob quickly fled away from the location when the security personnel arrived. From there the mob moved first to Mangga Besar and then to the Grogol eighborhood administration office. Security personnel from various units soon brought the situation under control.
The incident quickly became known throughout Jakarta, causing panic and fear that the 13-15 May riots would be repeated. But throughout Saturday, the situation in the capital city looked normal, shops remaining open. After midday, however, hundreds of school pupils paraded on the Jl Raya Cileduk main road, carrying banners demanding, among other things, lowering of school dues. A bus had its windshields broken by stones. Shops closed, but opened again around 13.30 p.m.
Reacting to the attack and wrecking, Jakarta governor Sutiyoso affirmed that strong steps would be taken against tricycle drivers operating in Jakarta. The prohibition on tricycles inside Jakarta, issued in 1988, is still in force. He asked the police to help in conclusively investigating the perpetrators of the riot.
The governor also decided that at the beginning of August next, Jakarta must again be completely free of tricycles. Therefore the security operations will continue. Tricycles snared by the operations up to 23 July will be returned to their places of origin at the expense of the Jakarta regional administration. Those caught on Friday (24/7) and thereafter will be immediately dumped in the compound in the Cakung area, North Jakarta.