B Sugiharto/SWA & LM, Jakarta – A violent clash in Surabaya between police and supporters of a charitable foundation forced to hand over their building to a local business has left 12 hospitalised. Local party officials have denied previous reports that members of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Task Force were involved in the clash.
The injured and around 300 people clashed with police when they attempted to evict residents of the Prayuana Foundation building in Surabaya, East Java, and their supporters today. The Foundation runs a school for the mentally retarded and recently lost a case against PT Bina Mobilaraya who claimed to have purchased the building legally.
In a previous report, Detik reported that members of the PDI-P Task Force had combined with Task Force members from the Nahdlatul Ulama, known as the Banser NU. Latest information indicates that Banser NU combined forces with supporters of the National Awakening Party (PKB). The two are closely related, NU is Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation and NU leaders formed the PKB in 1999 although the two are officially independent.
Task Force Platoon Commander of the PKB Regional Board of Leaders (DPW), Wiro S, spoke with Detik today at the DPW headquarters on Jl. Musi, Surabaya, East Java.
Wiro said that two PKB members, Makhrus Ali and Maksum, are currently being treated for severe concussion at the Darmo hospital. He also said that other victims from the Garda Bangsa task force [a division within the PKB's own task force - ed] are being treated for rubber bullet and head wounds. Wiro admitted that he had deployed 72 members of the PKB and Banser NU task forces, including 8 Banser NU members from Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.
According to Wiro, his people had been determined not to hand over the building because the mentally retarded occupants had no where else to go. He added that he had previously tried to negotiate the handover and had also sent a proposal for a postponement to the Supreme Court, although there had been no reply. Furthermore, Wiro claimed the boss of PT Bina Mobilraya, Candra Srijaya, had been adamant that the handover would go ahead and had deployed two trucks of his supporters for this purpose. "That's why we considered it necessary to secure the building," stated Wiro.
Wiro added that PKB and NU supporters were mere participants who did not wear task force uniforms and were unidentifiable. He also denied that the PKB had a vested interest in the foundation.
The South Surabaya city police have detained 15 wounded task force members who will be investigated. Chairman of the PKB East Java Regional Board of Leaders, KH Chairul Anam, has negotiated with the police to release the PKB members. His junior number, Wiro, is calling for a police investigation into the violence and the use of water canons on the protesters.