JakartaPost-Oct 4, 2022
The government has set up a fact-finding team to investigate the stampede that left at least 125 people dead in Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, on Saturday, as calls for accountability mount over the worst sporting incident in the country’s history. The team will consist of representatives from soccer organizations, experts and academics, as well as members of the relevant ministries, Coordinating Legal, Political and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD said during a streamed press conference in Jakarta on Monday. The stampede occurred following a soccer match between rival teams Arema FC of Malang and Persebaya Surabaya on Saturday night, which was won by the latter, triggering supporters of the home team to storm onto the field venting their anger. Police, armed with batons and shields, responded by tackling the soccer fans, while also firing tear gas canisters into the stands of the overpacked stadium – prompting spectators to rush to the exit in a deadly stampede. The tragedy has sparked anger among the public, particularly over the police’s decision to fire tear gas inside a stadium, seen as one of the main causes of the tragedy, over the failure of the soccer match organizers to take necessary precautionary steps, and over the violence inflicted by the security authorities on Arema fans. Footage circulating on social media show several Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel kicking, punching and hitting spectators with batons during the incident. Despite widespread public criticism, no senior official within the National Police or the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI) or the Sports Ministry has resigned over the tragedy. Several of the security personnel on the ground, however, are facing charges and dismissal. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/10/03/accountability-demanded-over-stampede.html.
