La Remmy, Palu – Police here said on Thursday they had arrested at least 30 people suspected of involvement in an attack on the headquarters of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's party in Palu, Central Sulawesi.
However, six of them were released, due to lack of evidence, and the remaining 24 are being held for interrogation, Central Sulawesi Police chief Brig. Gen. Taufik Ridha said. At least seven of the detained people including students, workers, non-governmental organization activists and jobless people, have confessed to some role in the attack on Wednesday, he added.
The attack was apparently precipitated by hundreds of protesters angry over the steep rise in fuel, electricity and telephone prices, and they directed their anger at the PDI Perjuangan headquarters.
No casualties were reported, however. It took place as Megawati canceled a visit to the Central Sulawesi town of Poso on Wednesday to lead a ceremony marking the National Social Solidarity Day, in which she would have handed over aid to victims of sectarian unrest there.
Sjafrun Abdullah, a deputy party chairman of the Central Sulawesi chapter, said his colleagues had taken Wednesday's incident to the provincial police for investigation. "This [Thursday] morning, six party executives officially reported the attack to the police. We asked them to process the case of destruction of our office. Those proven to be involved in the attack must face justice," he said.
PDI Perjuangan expected the police to take legal action against the attackers, said Sjafrun, who is also a deputy speaker of the provincial legislature. "But if, after a certain deadline the investigation process remains fruitless, PDI Perjuangan militia gangs will round up those responsible for the destruction of our party's headquarters," he warned, but stopped short of an exact date of the deadline.
He confirmed that his party supporters initiated the search for the attackers on Wednesday night, but found none as they were suspected to have fled Palu. Sjafrun, however, denied allegations that PDI Perjuangan private security force had abducted local residents blamed for the attack.
Police personnel and PDI Perjuangan men provided tight guard at the rampaged office on Thursday as it received threats of more attacks from several unidentified callers. Aco, a PDI Perjuangan activist, who received the phone threats, said the callers told him that a mob would storm the office again for a further attacks. In a response, Aco told the callers that PDI Perjuangan was ready to take revenge against them.
Meanwhile, Ferry Anwar of the Presidium for South Sulawesi Poor People's Forum threatened to mobilize thousands of protesters to occupy the provincial police headquarters on Thursday if his colleagues being held for the attack were not released.
But by Thursday evening, the promised occupation did not take place despite hundreds of students staging a noisy rally on Jl. Diponegoro, across town, in a protest against the utility price hikes. They blocked the Palu-Donggala highway for around five hours, causing a heavy traffic jam and seized a fuel station. The demonstrators dispersed after negotiations between them and Palu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Haka Astana.