... It is very painful when I move, speak or laugh while my right leg is numb...Palu, Central Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - A reporter from Nuansa TV in Palu, Central Java, has been hit by a stray bullet when covering a communal clash between villagers in Marawola in the district of Sigi, Central Sulawesi.
Salahuddin, who is also the chief editor of Nuansa TV, was hit on the right side of his neck by a high-calibre air rifle bullet.
He was taken to Bhayangkara hospital in Palu but will soon be transferred to a provincial general hospital for surgery, which will be necessary to take out the bullet.
"It is very painful when I move, speak or laugh while my right leg is numb," Salahuddin said at Bhayangkara hospital.
He explained that the incident occurred when he was covering a conflict between the villagers of Binangga and Padende, which also involved villagers from three other neighbouring villages.
Hundreds of people, armed with sharp weapons as well as air rifles, were involved in the clash.
The police, assisted by military personnel, used tear gas in their efforts to stop the fight and were eventually successful, but the situation remained tense in the area, which is about 6 kilometres south of Palu, the capital of the Central Sulawesi province.
Central Sulawesi police chief Brigadier General Dewa Parsan visited Salahuddin at the hospital and expressed concerned over the incident. He called on community and religious leaders, as well as anyone having relatives in the villages involved in the clash, to help stop the fight and reduce tension in the area.
The clash broke out early on Monday, triggered by a brawl between youths of two villages. Since then it has claimed one life, while several others have sustained injuries.
(R007/BK03/H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/O001)Â
Editor: Ade P Marboen
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
