A concert featuring dangdut diva Dewi Perssik and famous dangdut group Trio Macan on Saturday seemed to help ease tensions at the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters of the Riau Islands Police, which was attacked by soldiers from the 134 Tuah Sakti Battalion on Nov. 19.

Hundreds of 134 Tuah Sakti Battalion members, Satriya Bhumi Yudha Marine 10 Battalion personnel and Brimob officers gathered at the Brimob headquarters on Saturday afternoon to enjoy musical performances presented by, among others, Dewi Perssik and Trio Macan, showing easing tensions following the recent clashes.

Indonesian Military chief of staff Gen. Gatot Nurmantyio told The Jakarta Post that he was happy with the peaceful atmosphere created by the concert.

'€œI feel happy. Brimob, marines and Army personnel are like my own children. The recent tensions cause discomfort among all parties. That was why I met with the Riau Islands Police chief and the Mobile Brigade unit head, during which I suggested a solution to bring both Brimob members and military personnel to mingle through a cultural performance, because culture does not make any distinctions between religious or any other backgrounds,'€ Gatot said on Saturday.

Gatot added that he would rather not look back to Wednesday'€™s incident but instead toward the future and let the legal process of the incident progress. In the near future, he said, there would be regular cultural events held between the three forces.

Meanwhile, Riau Islands Police chief Brig. Gen. Arman Depari said the police'€™s internal investigative team was working on the case.

'€œThere is no obligation for the investigative team to report to me. We have our own evaluations on the performance of Brimob members, and so far there have been no problems,'€ he said. (dyl/ebf)(+++)

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