Hilman Kamaludin, Bandung – The commemoration of International Labour Day or May Day was marred by rioting by a group of people dressed in black at the Tamansari-Cikapayang intersection in Bandung city on Friday evening May 1.
Based Tribun Jabar's monitoring, a number of people appeared determined to set fire to police posts, videotrons and kiosks that were close together until finally the flames were extinguished by Bandung city fire department (Damkar) officers who deployed three fire trucks.
Meanwhile, the anarchist mob was immediately dispersed by fully equipped police officers. The police even had to use a water cannon in order to disperse the crowd.
When the police arrived at the location, the crowd of people dressed in black immediately ran and scattered down a number of roads. The police however did not remain silent and immediately gave chase.
As of 8pm, some police officers were still on guard around the location, while Bandung city fire department officers were still trying to extinguish the police post, videotrons and kiosks that had been torched by the mob.
Meanwhile, traffic from various different directions had become severely congestion because many drivers stopped seeking safety.
As of this report being published, there had been no official statement from the police regarding the rioting and arson carried out by the group of people.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "May Day Diwarnai Kerusuhan di Bandung, Pos Polisi Hingga Videotron Dibakar Massa".]
