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1 dead in Sumatra riot; Suharto relatives leave corporate posts
May 29, 1998Web posted at: 4:13 a.m. EDT (0813 GMT) JAKARTA (CNN) - A riot in a North Sumatran town left one man dead and 14 people injured and damaged hundreds of shops. Meanwhile, former President Suharto's son and son-in-law stepped down from the board of one of the country's largest companies, Bimantara Citra, as protesters called for an investigation into the wealth of the Suharto clan. The Jakarta Post said 218 people in Tanjungbalai had been arrested for rioting and looting on Wednesday. The dead man was killed when he was hit by a vehicle, while the 14 injuries came from rubber bullets fired by police. The Jakarta Post quoted witnesses as saying thousands of people went on the rampage, angered by gambling, prostitution, smuggling, drinking and nepotism in the town. Two bank branches were damaged and a small hotel was gutted by fire. Tanjungbalai is around 150 km (90 miles) southeast of the North Sumatran capital of Medan, which was racked by fierce rioting early this month. The paper said unrest had also broken out in the town of Jeneponto in the south of the island of Sulawesi. It said around 100 high school students had attacked shops and buildings. Police detained 50 students but later released them. Suharto's son and son-in-law step down from jobsSuharto's middle son Bambang Trihatmodjo resigned as chairman of the board and son-in-law Indra Rukmana stepped down as president-commissioner of the widely diversified conglomerate. Critics say that Suharto's six children amassed fortunes through corruption and nepotism under his patronage. The wealth of the family has been a major source of resentment among ordinary Indonesians, who have been battling to cope with the country's worst economic crisis in Suharto's 32 years of rule. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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