Malang – Mass unrest and riots on Friday and Saturday (29th-30th October) followed the looting of coffee and cocoa belonging to the Sumbermanggis Plantations in Jogomulyo village, Tirtoyudo subdistrict, south of Malang.

Thousands of furious people vandalized and burned the factory of Sumbermanggis Plantations. A fuel storage facility, rubber treatment unit, diesel power station, fertilizer storage and employees' cooperative office in the factory area were all burned to the ground. After burning the factory, the mob also burned two trucks and a jeep.

As of Sunday morning (31st October], the wreckage of the vehicles still lay in front of the factory. Satisfied with the burning, the mob then looted stuff from the factory that could still be used such as fertilizer, zinc plates and iron.

Based on the information gathered by Suara Karya, the clash began with the looting of coffee and cocoa in the Sumbermanggis Plantations area, which the plantation management reported to the Malang Police.

As the result, four persons suspected as the "masterminds" behind the looting were arrested and detained at the Resort Police. Jogomulyo villagers got angry after the four suspects were detained.

Thousands of villagers came to the factory carrying cudgels, bladed weapons, petrol and Molotov cocktails because they considered the company as the cause of their fellow villagers being detained by the police.

There, they forced the director of the company to release the four villagers detained by the Malang Police. Getting no response, they got angry and together they burned the factory of Sumbermanggis Plantations.

To cool down the mob's anger, hundreds of troops of the Mass Control unit of Malang Resort Police, along with troops from Tirtoyudo, Gondolegi, and Dampit Sector Police Stations were deployed to the scene. However, the mob's rage was so tremendous that the security personnel could not stop the burning of the factory. Eight villagers were reportedly wounded by rubber bullets.

At the peak of their anger, tens of police officers were "held hostage" at the nearby village hall. They demanded the release of the four villagers. After long negotiations, the four villagers were finally released and handed over to the villagers. Malang Police Chief Colonel Aryanto Sutadi confirmed that the police had released the four detainees.