Salemba task force set up to end student brawls<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Recurring riots, between students from three of the most esteemed
\ninstitutions of higher learning in the country, on and around Jl.
\nSalemba in Central Jakarta, have prompted the municipality
\nadministration to take action.<\/p>\n
It has now joined forces with five institutions in the area to
\nset up a special task force to end the violence.<\/p>\n
Mayor Muhayat said on Thursday that the task force would be
\ncomprised of representatives from the University of Indonesia
\n(UI), YAI Persada Indonesia University and the Christian
\nUniversity of Indonesia (UKI) -- the schools whose students are
\ninvolved in the melees -- along with St. Carolus Hospital and
\nCipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.<\/p>\n
The task force will be assigned to monitor security and uphold
\npublic order along the crowded street.<\/p>\n
\"Police and the city public order officers have been
\nineffective, and they have not curbed the violence. We believe
\nthat by involving people who have a genuine interest in the area,
\nwe will be more effective in tackling the issue,\" Muhayat said.<\/p>\n
Student brawls have been the main concern of building owners
\nin the area as massive groups of students regularly square off in
\nwhat has all the hallmarks of classic tribal warfare, and the
\nclashes have affected business activities and worsened traffic
\ncongestion. In some incidents, passersby often get injured, cars
\nget damaged by hurled stones and, of course, the students also
\nregularly sustain injuries, some quite serious, even fatal.<\/p>\n
Usually, the fracases occur more frequently at the beginning
\nof new school terms.<\/p>\n
UKI administration officials urge students to refrain from
\nengaging in the ritualistic clashes on their official website.
\n\"Any involvement in student brawls, individually or in a group,
\nfor whatever reason, is a violation of the university's policy
\nand we will impose punishment,\" the website said.<\/p>\n
Muhayat said the task force would also be assigned to tidy up
\nthe area by evicting street vendors and cracking down on illegal
\non-street parking as they also encroached well into the main
\nthoroughfare and blocked traffic.<\/p>\n
\"We hope by next year Jl. Salemba along with parts of Jl.
\nKramat Raya and Jl. Matraman, which connects Central Jakarta and
\nEast Jakarta, will be cleared of street vendors and have well-
\nordered on-street parking.\"<\/p>\n
Salemba is one among 16 locations in the municipality which is
\nprone to heavy traffic congestion.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post observed on Thursday that street vendors
\nstill were completely blocking all the sidewalks in front of UI,
\nforcing pedestrians to walk on the street, put them at great risk
\nof being hit by passing vehicles.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/salemba-task-force-set-up-to-end-student-brawls-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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