Bandung – A demonstration in front of the Gedung Sate building in Bandung on Friday August 29 turned chaotic after protesters succeeded in breaking through the main gate to the West Java provincial government building.
The incident occurred at around 10.15 pm when hundreds of demonstrators who had earlier been protesting at the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) moved to Gedung Sate building, the West Java governor's office. The two buildings are a stone's throw away on Jalan Diponegoro in Bandung city.
The incident began when police fired teargas at the demonstrators and the crowd then ran towards Gedung Sate building. They then set fire to the fence and managed to break through to the building.
Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri) officers immediately tried to drive the protesters away. A clash was unavoidable.
As of this article being written at 10.50 pm, the situation around Gedung Sate building remained tense. Protesters who had attempted to force their way into the Gedung Sate building area were eventually pushed back by authorities. Protesters however continued throwing objects around the area.
As of this article being posted, security forces were still trying to gain control the situation. The atmosphere in several areas around Dago and the Gedung Sate building appeared tense, with sirens and explosions heard intermittently.
Earlier, at around 7.18 pm after police fired teargas during the demonstration at the West Java DPRD, the demonstrators scattered and forced their way into the Pullman Hotel, located directly in front of Gedung Sate building on Jalan Diponegoro.
"Open up, hey. Water, water", shouted several participants of the mass action.
The protesters shook the metal fence until they managed to break through the entrance to the Pullman Hotel. Cheers could be heard clearly from Gedung Sate building.
Meanwhile, not far from the Gedung Sate building, still on Jalan Diponegoro, fires could be seen burning at the West Java DPRD building gates. Houses across the road from the DPRD were also set on fire by protesters.
The raging flames at the gates of the DPRD grew even larger on Friday night. The fire is suspected to have originated from a videotron screen that caught fire nearby.
Shortly afterward, a large explosion was heard, accompanied by the hissing sound of gas. Based on information gathered at the location, the explosion is suspected to have been triggered by a three-kilogram LPG cylinder allegedly thrown by an unknown person. (csr/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Ricuh di Bandung, Pagar Gedung Sate hingga Hotel Diterobos Massa".]
