Tangerang – The Tangerang Saviors Front (FPT), a paramilitary group, became involved in a brawl with locals late Saturday night after protesting the presence of nightclubs in the Pinangsia commercial complex in Karawaci, Tangerang.

The FPT demanded the clubs be closed, in accordance with a controversial local bylaw banning prostitution and the sale of alcoholic drinks.

Led by Tubagus Mahdi, some 150 members of the group gathered outside the clubs to demand their closure, when motorcycle taxi drivers, club employees and local youths attacked the front members. The attack drove off the group, two of whose members were injured in the incident.

Tangerang Police detained five members of the FPT, including group leader Mahdi. They were questioned for five hours before being released. The police's intelligence unit head, Comr. Elisius, said the protest by the FPT was illegal. "They did not have a permit for last night's rally," he said. – Antara