Masses In Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, Burned 2 Houses, Cars And Motorcycles After Losing In A Land Dispute Case

Police collect evidence at one of the residents' houses that were burned by the mob (Capture/ANTARA)

KENDARI - The Buton Police have named 13 people as suspects for being involved in burning houses and vehicles in Lasalimu Pantai Village, South Lasalimu District, Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi (Sultra), Monday, November 22 night.

The mass action was triggered by a land dispute decision at the Pasarwajo District Court, Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province. The party who lost in the lawsuit did not accept and carried out this brutal action.

"Initially from the civil law, then from the mass the defendants who lost did not accept and carried out anarchic actions," explained Buton Police Chief AKBP Gunarko when contacted from Kendari, Antara, Thursday, November 25.

Gunarko explained that the determination of 13 suspects was carried out after investigators took information from 26 people. They are villagers who were involved in the arson and destruction of a number of houses.

"All the suspects named by the residents, for the village head are still in the process of being investigated," he said.

Of the 13 suspects, as many as nine people have been detained while the rest are subject to mandatory reporting because they are still minors. "Detention has been carried out. For child suspects, we are required to report them because they are minors, under 18 years old. There are four children," he explained.

Gunarko revealed that the suspects were subject to Articles 170 and 406 of the Criminal Code concerning collectively carrying out vandalism with threats of up to five years in prison. The impact of the riots resulted in two units of residents' houses and three units of two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles being destroyed.

Losses are estimated at hundreds of millions of rupiah from the burning of houses and several two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles in Lasalimu Pantai Village, South Lasalimu District, Buton Regency.

Currently, the conditions at the incident site are starting to become conducive and there are no more mass groups gathering at the location. However, continued Gunarko, police personnel are still on standby to anticipate if there are further riots.