Murders may move to other areas<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): East Java Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dayat suggested
\nthere maybe efforts to fuel unrest in the province through an
\nescalation of the "black magic murders" which have hit Malang
\nregency in the past fortnight.<\/p>\n
"From our observations we have gathered information which
\nindicates that the black magic cases in south Malang could be
\nescalated to Blitar and Kediri, he said on Friday as quoted by
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
He said police were arriving in force to prevent any such
\nactivities from taking place and to show a strong physical
\npresence in the community.<\/p>\n
"The presence is targeted at East Java, like in Ambon, Aceh
\nand Irian Jaya," he said referring to other restive provinces.<\/p>\n
Since the second week of December, Malang has been the sight
\nof ongoing acts of murder which have left nine people dead. Many
\nfear the pattern of the murders is similar to the 1998 Banyuwangi
\nkillings in which over 100 were killed.<\/p>\n
Initially the Banyuwangi killings targeted victims who were
\nallegedly practitioners of black magic, however religious
\nteachers were also targeted.<\/p>\n
Evaluating events over the past year, Dayat said he was
\nrelatively satisfied with security in the province.<\/p>\n
He claimed that crime rates were not the primary gauge for
\nmeasuring security, but rather a measure of the peace and
\nsecurity of its residents.<\/p>\n
He said in terms of reported cases there was a decline from
\n23,126 in 1998 to 20,847 in 1999.<\/p>\n
However, he conceded that there was a 15 percent increase in
\nvehicle theft while drug related cases had rocketed to almost
\nthree times that of last year.<\/p>\n
The Kediri regency was the location of the highest number of
\ncrimes in 1999, followed by Surabaya and Madiun.<\/p>\n
"But we must continue to remain vigilant, because, as I said,
\nthere are reports that there is an attempt to escalate the
\nmurders to other areas," Dayat remarked.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/murders-may-move-to-other-areas-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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