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Medan gang leaders call for calm, police probe
Jakarta Post - February 2, 2016
"I have asked all IPK members to refrain from violence. No further action has occurred as we have been told by chairman Budi Panggabean," IPK's Medan branch chairman, Thomas Purba, told reporters at the organization's office on Monday.
He said the call was made in accordance with the legal requirements of the police investigation into the incident, adding that the brawl was spontaneous.
"We have asked the police to investigate the incident thoroughly so inaccurate information does not circulate," Thomas said.
He added that IPK members had not attacked the PP office, but were only passing by Jl. Thamrin on their way to a swearing-in ceremony in the Denai area when they were trapped in traffic and became engaged in an argument with PP members.
"We did not attack the PP office because at that time we had women and children in our entourage. It is not possible that such as attack occurred," Thomas said.
He added that his organization had lost two members, Monang Hutabarat and Roy Silaban, in the incident, while four others were injured. Those injured in the brawl were taken to the hospital for treatment but all have since returned home.
Thomas said that there had frequently been friction between the IPK and PP, which he put down to miscommunication.
Both organizations, established decades ago during the rule of Indonesia's second president Soeharto, were at that time affiliated with the ruling Golkar Party.
IPK has reportedly remained affiliated with the party while PP, which was founded by Japto S. Soerjosoemarno, left the party and became an independent organization. PP leaders, including Japto, then established the Patriotic Party in 2001.
Separately, PP deputy chairman Sakhyan Asmara, who is also acting head of PP's North Sumatra branch, said that he had called on all PP cadres to refrain from violence as had been requested by the commander of the Bukit Barisan commander. He said that PP cadres would fully obey the instruction.
"We made the call for the sake of the people's comfort and security," Sakhyan told The Jakarta Post on Monday. He said he regretted that the brawl had occurred and caused anxiety in the community.
To prevent such an incident from occurring again in the future he suggested that local administrations and law enforcement bodies revive a youth forum that was established in 2002.
He said the forum was effective at reducing conflict among youths, adding that after the forum was established no violence had occurred as all problems could be quickly settled by taking them to the forum.
The bloody brawls between IPK and PP occurred in a number of places in Medan on Saturday afternoon and continued until very late in the night. Two were killed in the incident and four were severely injured.
Although local people's daily activities in Medan had returned to normal on Monday, security personnel were still seen guarding a number of locations, including the PP office on Jl. Thamrin and IPK office on Jl. Sriwijaya.
Shops along Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Asia and Jl. Sutrisno, which were previously closed because of the incident, were also reopened on Monday.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/02/02/medan-gang-leaders-call-calm-police-probe.html.
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