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27 Arrested in Batam Violence; 2 Charged
Farouk Arnaz | November 26, 2011

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Police in Batam, Riau Islands, announced on Friday the arrest of 27 people said to have been involved in a clash with police this week that caused injuries and massive property damage.

“Two people were named as suspects: a 30-year-old worker, A., who was the provocateur in the vandalism of the [Batam] mayor’s office and [another] A., a 21-year-old who hurled rocks at the mayor’s office,” National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said on Friday.

The other 25 people detained on Friday have not been charged.

Violence occurred after massive protests over the provincial minimum wage. Workers demanded that it be set at Rp 1.76 million ($195) a month next year, and Rp 1.85 million for jobs in certain sectors. It is now Rp 1.18 million a month.

More than 6,000 people had taken to the streets since Wednesday after a deadlock between employers and workers’ unions. On Wednesday, workers clashed with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds.

Records from municipal clinics on Wednesday showed 15 people were treated for injuries sustained in the clashes and five were taken to nearby hospitals.The violence continued on Thursday when workers and police officers hurled rocks at each other outside the mayor’s office. Police again fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

“There were people who provoked the demonstrators and the situation descended into chaos,” Saud said. “There were rocks being hurled and officers were hit in the face, so the police had to use force.”

He said the situation was under control on Friday, but state-run Antara news agency reported that it remained tense in Batam’s industrial areas. It also reported a heavy security in front of the mayor’s office.

Saud said that six officers and six demonstrations had been injured in the clashes. Three of the demonstrators were hit by rubber bullets.

Herlini Amran, a national lawmaker from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said the workers’ demands were reasonable given that the city has some of the highest living costs in the country. She also pointed out that, by law, the government should have established next year’s minimum wage by Nov. 21.

Officials in Batam have agreed to raise the minimum wage to Rp 1.32 million