After Medan Clash, Govt Urged to Ban Violent Organizations
Medan/Jakarta. The fatal clash on Saturday (30/01) between two youth organizations in Medan has sparked new calls on the government of Indonesia to revoke the operational permit of any such organizations engaging in violent activities.
About 160 members of the Working Youth Alliance (IPK), driving ten cars and 60 motorcycles, were cruising around the North Sumatra capital's main streets on Saturday afternoon. When the group passed Jalan Thamrin, near the headquarters of their rivals, the Pancasila Youth (PP), a clash ensued.
The chairman of the IPK's East Medan chapter, Monang Hutabarat, was among the two people killed in the fight. A man identified as Sepri, also a member of the IPK, was also killed while four other IPK members were injured.
The victims were assaulted with machetes and knives by members of the PP, which, like many similar organizations, has been linked with countless cases of violence across the country for decades.
The North Sumatra Police on Sunday arrested ten PP members and named them suspects for their involvement in the deadly clash.
A North Sumatra legislator, Sutrisno Pangaribuan, denounced organizations like PP, which he said "spread terror" and are forcing civilians to pay fees as part of protection rackets.
“So far, the public has never felt any positive impacts of those organizations. They tend to hurt people. Hopefully the president [Joko Widodo] will soon instruct the Home Affairs Minister [Tjahjo Kumolo] to revoke their operational permits,” Sutrisno said on Monday in Medan.
Poengky Indarti, the executive director of Jakarta-based human rights watchdog Imparsial, said she supported the idea.
“It [the plan to revoke the operational permits] has to go through the courts, though. The perpetrators also have to be legally processed and the government should not protect them,” Poengky said on Wednesday in a text message sent to the Jakarta Globe.
Poengky stressed that public organizations' leaders have to take responsibility for the violent acts their members commit. "And if the leaders do nothing about it, they have to be scolded. As for the locals disturbed by the organizations, they should file a report [with the authorities] and ask for compensation.”
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