Jakarta – Some rallies against the proposed fuel-price hike staged across the archipelago on Monday were tainted by violence.
National Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said five protesters, six police and two journalists were injured in rallies in Ternate, North Maluku and Jambi.
In Ternate, around 2,000 protesters clashed with local police as they tried to occupy the Baabulah Airport around 12 p.m. local time. The mob, armed with slingshots, attacked police officers who responded by shooting rubber bullets.
"Six police were injured. There were also six civilians who sustained injuries from rubber bullets. Among them was a journalist from local daily Mata Publik," Agus said in a press conference on Monday in Jakarta.
Separately, in Jambi, a journalist with TV station Trans7, Nugroho Anton, was left with an eye injury after a rally in front of the Jambi Legislative Council. Nugroho was covering a demonstration staged by hundreds of members of the Jambi Students Alliance when he was hit by a splinter debris from a tear gas canister.
"Officers had thrown the tear gas canister into the crowd to calm the protesters. Nugroho was rushed to Jambi Hospital for treatment," Agus said.
In Medan, North Sumatra, protesters set fire to a US flag in front of the US consulate before trying to storm Polonia International Airport. The police were able to hold the crowd back but the situation affected passengers planning to fly from the airport.
State airport management company PT Angkasa Pura opened the back gate access to allow passengers to get into the airport and deployed security guards to escort them.
In Bandar Lampung, Lampung, students trampled on a poster of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to express their disappointment with the planned fuel-price hike. They also stopped a truck carrying fuel and prevented the driver from continuing his journey. The police managed to reason with the students and they finally let the driver go.
The situation also got out of hand in Makassar, South Sulawesi, when an angry mob damaged motorcycles near the Alauddin State Islamic University (UIN) and protestors tried to force their way past hundreds of police officers guarding the South Sulawesi gubernatorial office.
Armed with stones, arrows and Molotov cocktails, the protesters attacked the governmental office but were dispersed by tear gas released by the police.
South Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi said around 1,600 police officers and 600 members of the National Military had been deployed to safeguard the city.
A rally staged by students of the Walisongo State Islamic Science Institute (IAIN) in Semarang, Central Java, caused severe traffic congestion on the Pantura (northern highway) route, which links Semarang and Jakarta. Students burned tires and combustible paraphernalia on the thoroughfare.
Rally coordinator Amri Zaroiz said they took harsh action since previous peaceful rallies had been ignored by the government.
In Bandung, West Java, a rally held by the Alliance of the People of West Java in front of the Gedung Sate gubernatorial office was peaceful.
The protesters expressed their rejection, of the government's plan to directly distribute financial assistance (BLSM) to cushion the poor against inflation from the planned subsidized fuel-price hike, without resorting to violence. Ubus, a farmer from Pangalengan, said that such a system would trigger new conflict among people.
"The distribution [of direct cash assistance] might not be fair. Many people might not receive the money," he said.
The planned fuel-price hike has sparked anger among Indonesians and even triggered panic buying amid fears of a fuel scarcity. In a number of cities across the archipelago, police officers were deployed to guard gas stations to tackle any disruption to fuel distribution.
The management of some gas stations in Ternate preempting that the rallies would end in violence, decided to shut their businesses on Monday.
In the meantime, the police also conducted a fuel crime prevention operation to combat fuel hoarding and illicit distribution. In Lampung, four men were arrested for allegedly hoarding as many as 13 tons of fuel.
"We detained four suspects: AG, DN, SDR, and SPR. We will continue to investigate their connection to several fuel speculators that committed fuel crimes in Lampung several years ago," Lampung Police spokeswoman Sulistyaningsih said.
She said the 13 tons of subsidized gas and diesel were seized from the speculators operating on Jl. Soekarno-Hatta and Jl. Ir. Sutami Bandarlampung, Koya Menggala, in Tulangbawang regency, as well as in Labuhan Meringgai in East Lampung regency.