Houses Burned, Damaged In Fight Between Villages In Lampung Selatan

Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Some 70 homes were damaged or burned following a fight between residents of two villages in Lampung Selatan, Sumatra on Tuesday. The fight was believed to have stemmed from a quarrel between two teenagers at a motorcycle parking area the day before, which erupted into a conflict on ethnicity, religion and race between the people of Kampung Kotadalam and Kampung Napal, who armed themselves with bamboo spears and other sharp weapons during the brawl. Initial reports stated 48 houses were burned and 27 others damaged in Kampung Napal, but no fatalities were mentioned except for two people injured. Police deployed hundreds of personnel to control the situation which was said to be back to normal, however the atmosphere in Kampung Kotadalam remains tense as its residents continue to be armed with weapons in case of retaliation from the people of Kampung Napal. The police have yet to identify the actual cause of the fight. Some reports cite the fight began with a dispute between a motorcyclist and parking attendant after the former refused to pay Rp1,000 (35 sen) to park his vehicle outside the Sidomulyo market. The parking attendant from Kampung Kotadalam recounted what happened to villagers after he was shoved down by the motorcyclist. The two parties involved were of Lampung ethnicity from Kampung Kotadalam and Balinese ethnicity from Kampung Napal. Local authorities assured that aid will be given to villagers for repairs of damaged and burned homes, as well as efforts to reach an amicable solution through talks with community and religious leaders. -- BERNAMA