Edition 19: Hundreds Dead in Stadium Stampede After Tear Gas Fired
Hundreds Dead in Stadium Stampede After Tear Gas Fired
Source: Antara News
On Saturday October 1st, hundreds were killed in a stampede at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang in a football match.
Panicked fans were trampled trying to flee tear gas fired by law enforcement in what is shaping up to be one of the worst stadium disasters in history.
Fatality numbers are still streaming in as the death toll continues to rise but current reports as of the writing of this article puts the numbers at 127 dead, 302 lightly injured, and 12 in critical condition, with many of them being children.
The incident began when supporters of Arema FC, who lost to their long-time rival Persebaya, entered the field and started a riot. Officers fired tear gas towards the tribune to control the crowd but ended up triggering a stampede that caused cases of mass suffocation and trampling.
Indonesian soccer fans have had a problematic history, often resorting to anarchy when things don’t go their way.
But violent fans aren’t the only ones to blame in this incident. The incident is not only being seen as a massive tragedy in the soccer world, but also as an instance of excessive force by law enforcement.
FIFA safety guidelines prohibit the usage of all forms of ‘crowd control gas’ by pitchside stewards or police.
East Java’s Chief of Police, Inspector General Nico Afinta told the press that a preliminary investigation revealed that the usage of tear gas was standard procedure for crowd dispersal and blamed the supporters for the tragedy.
Outrage was sparked further after tone deaf comments by the Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali saying that he hoped the recent incident wouldn’t be penalized by FIFA as Indonesia would be hosting next year’s FIFA World U20 Cup.
FIFA has commented on the incident saying that “it’s a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension.” The organization so far has not commented on the possibility of penalties for safety violations or even Indonesia’s status as next year’s FIFA World U20 Cup host.
Despite the statement from law enforcement officials, the president had ordered relevant authorities to thoroughly re-evaluate security at soccer matches, telling the national soccer association (PSSI) to stop all Liga 1 matches until the investigation.
The chaos at Kanjuruhan Stadium is another blow to the reputation of law enforcement on top of the Sambo ordeal and cases of unlawful detention that have tainted the public’s perception of the institution.
This is a developing situation so as always, double check and do your own research to find the latest information on this distressing event.
📧 Tell us what you think!
What do you think of the clash between law enforcement and rioters in this incident? Write down your opinions in our Pen Pal section!
What Is Up, Indonesia?
🌎 Politics & International Relations
Captains Held by Navy Decries Bribes and Poor Treatment: Sailors crossing through Indonesian waters and detained for illegal anchoring decry their poor treatment and extortionate bribes by the Indonesian navy.
Police and Intelligence Services Instructed to Take Action Against Foreign NGOs: Local law enforcement has been instructed by the House of Representatives to take action against foreign NGOs that are deemed to “endanger national political stability” such as those supporting West Papuan independence or anti-palm oil activists.
Senior Government Officials Targeted with Spyware in 2021: More than a dozen senior Indonesian government and military officials were targeted last year by a spying software designed by the infamous NSO Group, used by governments around the world to spy on diplomats, journalists, and activists.
📈 Economics, Business & Technology
Indonesia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Tangled in Politics: Experts warned that government interference in the investment decisions of the Indonesian Investment Authority (INA) may impair the fund’s ability to draw investment into the country.
BI Sees Pressure on Rupiah as Temporary: Officials from the central bank sees the pressure on the Rupiah as temporary as currencies globally came under pressure amidst the rising cost of the US dollar after US Federal Reserve hikes.
PLN Cancels Electric Stove Program: PLN officially aborted their plan to migrate gas stoves to electric stoves due to mass backlash. The plan was aimed at maintaining public convenience during the post-pandemic recovery.
🏛️ Society & Culture
Pressure Mounts on BSSN to Reveal the Identity of Bjorka: Despite the involvement of multiple government agencies, the infamous hacker Bjorka has not been identified by intelligence services despite pressure mounting from the government and the public.
Journalists from Narasi Newsroom Hacked: Activists condemn the latest hack against Narasi Newsroom journalists after they published a controversial critique of the government, with the coordinated hack affecting several high-ranking members of the organization.
Chinese mRNA Vaccine Approved in Indonesia Ahead of China: The National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) has granted the emergency use of Walvax’s mRNA Vaccine claiming it has a 71% efficacy rate, despite the company having yet to publish official efficacy ratings nor receive approval in China.
What We're Reading
The incident at Kanjuruhan Stadium is a grim reminder that Indonesia has long had a complicated relationship with police brutality. While efforts to reform the government and military since the fall of the New Order in 1998 have been lauded internationally, the police seem to have been left behind.
Police a missing passenger in Indonesia’s reform train: “The police will be democratic when they act as authorized by law, when the laws they follow incorporate international standards of human rights, when they are accountable to authorities outside of themselves, and when they give priority to responding to the security needs of individuals. Removing the military aspects of the Police Law and adopting judicial scrutiny on police coercion would be a first step towards a more democratic Indonesian police force. - Fachrizal Afandi, The Jakarta Post
WIUI Recommends
One of my personal comfort shows about a girl with her weird pet doing weird jobs on different planets. The show can have very abstract plots and paced weirdly, but can have its somber moments despite its whimsical and cutesy art style.
~ Cult Leader Maik
On Our Instagram!
Recently, the Jakarta Government held a public forum to discuss the Strategic Plan for Air Pollution Control (SPPU) as a follow up to the citizen lawsuit against President Jokowi and other government leaders for environmental negligence last year.
How bad is the air pollution really that a bunch of people sued the government AND won the case?
We teamed up with Nafas, an Indonesian company that helps provide hyperlocal data on Indonesia's air quality in over 180 locations, to deliver to you some shocking insights. Did COVID-19 lockdowns actually help with reducing pollution? Will planting trees save our lungs?
TLDR: Download the Nafas app, and don’t go out to exercise or bring your kids to play before checking how bad the air pollution is!
For a more detailed read, check out our Instagram post, or a super informative slide deck put together by the Nafas team!
Communicate with us!
We here at WIUI love connecting to our community. The pen pal section is a way for you guys to communicate with us, and for us to communicate with you!
Tell us your hot take, give us recommendations, ask us questions about sociopolitics, or request advice about your love life here. We also welcome feedback!
Join our community!
Disclaimer: We are not professionals. We are prone to bias and error so please verify and double-check everything! We highly encourage you to do your own research.