[h=1]About 1,000 workers riot at Singapore-owned firm in Batam[/h]Published on Sep 21, 2011
Thousands of workers at Singapore-owned PT Nexus Engineering Indonesia in Batam went on the rampage yesterday morning. They set fire to an office, equipment room and several vehicles after two workers at the shipyard engineering firm were allegedly beaten up. -- PHOTO: F. PANGESTU
BATAM, Indonesia - About 1,000 workers at a Singapore-owned shipyard engineering firm went on the rampage on Tuesday, setting fire to an office, equipment room and several vehicles after security officers beat up two company employees.
The riot recalled a similar incident 18 months ago at another shipyard there, Dubai-owned Drydocks World Graha.
Tuesday's incident, at the PT Nexus Engineering Indonesia shipyard in eastern Batam's Kabil industrial estate, sent about 30 security guards fleeing in terror.
About 500 Batam police officers - a quarter of the force on the island - were called in, and they managed to bring the situation under control on Tuesday night.
BACKGROUND STORY
An eyewitness said the trouble began when two workers showed up for duty without their eyeshields and name tags. They were then questioned and allegedly beaten up by security guards and a military officer inside the guard post.
Thousands of workers at Singapore-owned PT Nexus Engineering Indonesia in Batam went on the rampage yesterday morning. They set fire to an office, equipment room and several vehicles after two workers at the shipyard engineering firm were allegedly beaten up. -- PHOTO: F. PANGESTU
BATAM, Indonesia - About 1,000 workers at a Singapore-owned shipyard engineering firm went on the rampage on Tuesday, setting fire to an office, equipment room and several vehicles after security officers beat up two company employees.
The riot recalled a similar incident 18 months ago at another shipyard there, Dubai-owned Drydocks World Graha.
Tuesday's incident, at the PT Nexus Engineering Indonesia shipyard in eastern Batam's Kabil industrial estate, sent about 30 security guards fleeing in terror.
About 500 Batam police officers - a quarter of the force on the island - were called in, and they managed to bring the situation under control on Tuesday night.
BACKGROUND STORY
An eyewitness said the trouble began when two workers showed up for duty without their eyeshields and name tags. They were then questioned and allegedly beaten up by security guards and a military officer inside the guard post.
