JAKARTA LIFE'S STYLE

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday ordered a thorough investigation into the bloody clashes between residents and public order officers in North Jakarta that left at least two people dead and more than 100 injured.

In a live statement on nationwide TV, Yudhoyono ordered “a comprehensive investigation on the clashes be held, to know precisely what caused them and the background of the problem.”

The strife began on Wednesday morning, involving about 2,000 public order officers (Satpol PP) and hundreds of residents of the Koja subdistrict near Tanjung Priok port. Many of the residents were armed with machetes and sickles as well as Molotov cocktails.

The residents apparently mistakenly believed the Satpol officers were there to tear down the tomb of Habib Hasan bin Muhammad Al Hadad, a revered 18th-century ulema known as Mbah Priok. City officials said they were there to demolish several buildings surrounding the tomb for which there were no permits, including the gate to the tomb complex.

Jakarta administration spokesman Cucu Ahmad Kurnia said late on Wednesday that at least two people, both Satpol officers, had been killed.

The city administration said the violence, which was broadcast live on local news, left 144 people injured, seven of them critically. The casualties included 10 police officers, 69 public order officials and 65 residents. A total of 66 vehicles were damaged.

Yudhoyono ordered a halt to the demolition and called on all sides to be properly consulted before it resumed.

The president also ordered the City Council to pay for the medical treatment for everyone injured in the clashes.

Ferrial Sofyan, the speaker of the City Council, said on Wednesday that the council leadership had discussed the violence and would summon Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo today or tomorrow to “ask for his responsibility.”

In a statement, Fauzi said the city was not planning to raze Mbah Priok’s tomb. “I highlight that there is no intention to remove the tomb. We know that it’s sacred for the people,” he said. “We even want to make a monument and widen the area to make it more attractive for visitors.”

Cucu said the city administration had informed the residents of the plan, but they had “misinterpreted” it, incorrectly assuming the tomb itself would be moved. City officials said three notification letters had been sent since Feb. 16.

Deputy Governor Prijanto apologized for the trouble and urged people not to be provoked to violence. He added that the removal of the gate had been postponed indefinitely.

The fighting ended late on Wednesday afternoon after about 300 members of the hard-line Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI) arrived at the scene to mediate between the two sides as well as protect the tomb.

“What happened has happened. Now it is time for peace and to restrain ourselves from further rioting,” FPI chairman Muhammad Riziq said, following a meeting with local elders and the family of Mbah Priok.

“Basically [the FPI] agrees that this is not only a sacred site but a historic landmark.”

Several officials immediately criticized what was seen as Satpol officers’ excessive use of force. Last week, several groups protested against the municipal force, demanding that it be disbanded and claiming that it routinely violated the human rights of the capital’s most vulnerable residents.

Cucu told a news conference at City Hall that Satpol officers could not restrain themselves after they were attacked.

Triwisaksana, deputy chairman of the City Council, said the clash resulted from Satpol’s method of eviction, which he said favored force over dialogue.

“The agency must learn from the police, which has field negotiators and an intelligence division,” he said.

He added that the Satpol chief should have ordered his men to withdraw when the clashes first erupted.

Ida Mahmudah, head of the City Council’s Commission A, which oversees government issues, said she had urged Fauzi to remove Satpol chief Harianto Badjoeri, adding that the council needed to evaluate the agency’s performance.

In an interview, Harianto told Metro TV that Satpol officers were only enforcing the law, adding that the agency suffered losses in the clashes.(thejakartaglobe)

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