"All suspects will be taken to the Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters for questioning," the Central Sulawesi police chief said.
Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - The number of suspects in Monday`s riot on Tiaka Island, Mamosalato subdistrict, Morowali, Central Sulawesi, increased from 19 to 23 on Tuesday, police said.

"Until this afternoon, the number of suspects has risen to 23", Central Sulawesi Regional Police Chief Brig Gen Dewa Parsana said here on Tuesday.

Dewa, however, could not give the identitiesof the 23 suspects. He said that the suspects were arrested because they acted unlawfully, had burned an oil well and vandalized the offices and facilities of the Joint Operating Body (JOB) of Pertamina-Medco E$P Tomori on Tiaka Island.

He said of the 23 suspects, four sustained bullet injuries because they were anarchic and resisted police. The four injured suspects were taken to a police hospital in Palu, he added.

Besides the four injured suspects, he said, two others were shot dead during the rioting in Tiaka.

Dewa said the arrests of the suspects were made because they had vandalized facilities and held hostage a number of JOB employees of Pertamina.

"All suspects will be taken to the Central Sulawesi Police Headquarters for questioning," the Central Sulawesi police chief said.

Morowali Resort Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Suhirman said on Monday the angry mob also pelted an oil well belonging to the consortium with Molotov cocktails.

Suhirman said that the incident began on Sunday but on Monday afternoon hundreds of people from mainland Mamosalato entered the island by motor boats and began vandalizing the joint oil companies` facilities.

"They were armed with machetes, spears, sickles and Molotov cocktails. They then vandalized the company`s offices and facilities," he said.

The rioting was triggered by the failure of the oil company, a consortium between state-owned oil/gas firm Pertamina and PT Medco E&P Tomori to build public facilities and electricity networks for the locals based on its promise years ago.

"The company has promised locals in the past to build public facilities and electricity networks but it has not yet realized it until now," Central Sulawesi Police Chief Brig Gen Dewa Parsana said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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