LATEST SURABAYA NEWS: Salam Cs Group Behind Riots In Mulyorejo Village Jember

Jember Police Chief AKBP Hery Purnomo (center) held a press conference regarding the development of the riots that occurred in Silo, Thursday (18/8/2022). (ANTARA/Zumrotun Solichah)

JEMBER - Police officers have uncovered the cause of the riots that occurred in Mulyorejo Village, Jember Regency, East Java, after arresting 14 people suspected of being the perpetrators of arson and thuggery.

The fourteen perpetrators consisted of two different cases, namely nine people being suspects in the burning of houses and vehicles, while five other people were named suspects in cases of persecution.

From the results of the development, the five perpetrators of the persecution were also suspected of being perpetrators of thuggery in the local village.

"The riots were initiated by the unilateral control of land by farmers who were not equipped with legal administration, so the Salam cs group used this condition to be able to ask for wages under the pretext of security services," said Jember Police Chief AKBP Hery Purnomo during a press conference at the Jember Police Headquarters, reported by ANTARA, Thursday, August 18th.

According to him, the burning of several houses and vehicles in Padukuhan Statuerejo and Dampikrejo, Baban Timur Hamlet, Mulyorejo Village, Silo District, is the peak of frustration for coffee farmers in Banyuanyar Village, Kalibaru District, Banyuwangi Regency, and residents of Mulyorejo Village.

"The Salam cs group offers security services, if they do not want to provide security money, the coffee harvested by the residents will be taken or stolen by the perpetrators, both coffee that is still in the tree and that has been harvested in the garden," he said.

The police chief explained that the thuggery had been going on since 2012 and residents were afraid to report it to the police because the influence of Salam cs' power was very strong in the area.

"Residents have to pay security money to the Salam cs group whose value is around Rp. 2 million to Rp. 7 million every week when the farmers harvest coffee cherries in the Baban Timur hamlet," he said.

Even though they have paid security money to the perpetrators, sometimes residents still see the perpetrators taking the coffee harvest in the garden whose location is indeed difficult to access by four-wheeled vehicles.

"Indeed, there is mounting frustration from coffee farmers, both from residents of Kalibaru Banyuwangi District and residents in Silo Jember District, so that Kalibaru residents burn their houses and vehicles of Salam cs in East Baban Hamlet," he said.

The police chief added that investigators are still continuing to develop and examine a number of witnesses so that the perpetrators of arson, coffee theft and thuggery can be arrested and processed thoroughly.

"With the arrest of the 14 perpetrators, we are still developing investigations to hunt down other perpetrators, both those involved in cases of arson, looting and persecution to thuggery. All must be processed according to the applicable law," he said.

Nine suspects were involved in the rioting by burning houses, eight of whom were residents of Kalibaru District, Banyuwangi Regency and one other person from Madura.

They are JR, a resident of Banyuanyar Village-Kalibaru District who played a role in provoking residents, S (39) a resident of Kalibaru Manis Village-Kalibaru District who was in charge of burning Ali's house and destroying other houses, M (42) a resident of Sampang-Madura Regency who burned Salam's house, A (45), a resident of Kalibaru Sub-district, who played a role in burning a motorbike at Ali's house.

Furthermore, MS (37) is a resident of Kalibaru Manis, M (35) is a resident of Kebunrejo Village, Kalibaru, W (39) is a resident of Banyuanyar Kalibaru, G (39) is a resident of Kalibaru Manis, and S (51) is a resident of Kalibaru Manis.

While the other five people are from the victim whose house was burned, but are also strongly suspected of being involved as perpetrators of molestation and bullying of coffee farmers, namely AL (23) years old, a resident of Statuerejo who was first arrested by the police in early July, then SL (37), YN (50), ZN (33), and AZ (27). The five are residents of Mulyorejo Village, Silo District, Jember.

Of the five suspects, three were arrested in Muara Enim, South Sumatra, and one suspect was arrested on the island of Bali. Previously, the four people were designated as DPOs (people looking for list).