Hundreds of protesters have surrounded Jakarta city hall to demand that the city's public security force is disbanded following bloody clashes which left two dead and scores wounded.Demonstrators wielding machetes, sticks and petrol bombs clashed with city security officers and riot police in running battles near the port outside the city centre. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and batons to beat back the protesters, who believed security officers were trying to remove the tomb of a Muslim cleric who helped to spread Islam in North Jakarta in the 18th century. The tomb is on land owned by the state-run seaport operator Pelindo II and the area is home to many squatters.
In the worst civil unrest to hit Jakarta for several years, three people were killed and 156 were wounded in the port area. At least two police officers were also badly injured - including one who had his hand chopped off and another who had his stomach slashed.
Cucu Kurnia, city spokesman, said: 'We did not intend to demolish the tomb, but we want to evict the illegal settlers. In fact, the local government wanted to preserve or restore the tomb. The mass anger was horrible and beyond our expectation for what was a simple case.'
A second street battle which also involved national police officers broke out hours later outside the hospital where many of the wounded had been taken. Customs officials said the main international container terminal will remain closed until tensions have eased.
Abdul Qadir Assegaf, a religious leader in the port community, said: 'We had to defend ourselves and the legacy of our history, the grave of our Islamic hero, and casualties could not be avoided. We will continue to protect the tomb and our rights until our last blood.' He accused the city officials of using excessive force and said their actions 'showed us how arrogant city security officers can be in enforcing unpopular rule'.
Mr Kurnia said members of a hardline Muslim group were involved in the fighting, but declined to name the group. He could have been refering to the Islamic Defenders Front, an organisation with a history of vandalising nightspots, hurling stones at Western embassies, and torching buildings belonging to rival groups.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered an investigation into the clashes and called on the Jakarta governor to put any evictions in the area on hold until he had met with all parties.