Laskar Bali frontman slashed viciously in broad daylight

National News

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Raw footage of a collapsed man bleeding out on the pavement apparently reveals the latest flare-up involving mass organization Laskar Bali.

Reported Laskar frontman Dewa Gede Artawan, 30, was allegedly killed by three masked men on Jl. Raya Batuan in Sukawati, Denpasar on Friday afternoon. A video posted to YouTube shows Artawan’s body strewn out in the street, motionless.

A witness, apparently a local resident, says he saw three men dressed in black with masks, attack Artawan with machetes. The perps were promptly picked up in cars that raced away from the scene, the witness said.

Police are showing grave concern over the violent incident, as they should. They will conduct a meeting with community leaders and between mass organizations (Laskar and Baladika) to try and resolve this mess, according to Merdeka.

“I’ve just spoken to the governor about the problems related to these organizations. We have plans to work with regional and community leaders to seek a more permanent solution to put an end to these clashes,” Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sugeng Priyanto said in Denpasar on Monday, as quoted by Merdeka.

The clashes he’s referring to are fights between rivals Laskar and Baladika, most notably, the brawl that broke out in and around Kerobokan Prison, killing four, in December 2015.

Police had already orchestrated a truce between Laskar and Baladika after the Kerobokan clash, but it clearly wasn’t effective enough.

“Previously, there was an agreement among leaders of the mass organizations to stop the fighting, but the violence has started again,” Priyanto said.

We also nearly saw another outbreak on Thursday in Denpasar as the gangs gathered in street to face-off, armed with sharp weapons in hand—but thankfully police intervened in time before things escalated.

However, before we jump to too many conclusions and start pointing fingers, Priyanto said police need to investigate further before they can actually confirm that last week’s Gianyar slashing is directly linked to the Kerobokan Prison clash.

“We are conducting an investigation. Hopefully the culprits are immediately arrested and processed according to the law. We encourage community groups to avoid vigilantism in solving problems,” he added.