10 arrested over attack on prostitutes, transvestite

10 arrested over attack on prostitutes, transvestite

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta police detectives arrested 10 men
for attacking three female prostitutes and a transvestite in
Brawijaya Park in Kebayoran Baru early on Sunday morning.

South Jakarta Police chief Col. Nono Suprijono said five of
the arrested suspects claimed to be members of the Defenders of
Islam (FPI), while the rest said they were FPI sympathizers.

"The suspects are said to have committed the crime based on an
order given by an FPI member named Tubagus Abdurrachman. However,
they have admitted to having no idea about the motive of the
attack," Nono told reporters.

The officer said Tubagus was due to meet him on Monday at the
South Jakarta Police Headquarters to talk about the incident.

Police identified the victims as transvestite Tini, 18, who
suffered serious machete wounds to her left shoulder and arm;
prostitute Sarkiyah, 28, who suffered machete wounds to her right
thigh; and prostitutes Rita Kanariah, 46, and Atik Lestari, 32,
who both suffered facial bruises.

A police source said that during the attack one of the four
victims had been stripped by the suspects.

Following the arrest the police confiscated 10 machetes from
the suspects as evidence.

Six of the suspects identified themselves to reporters as
Slamet Rebo, 41, Mohamad Irwan, 23, Taufik, 21, Syamsudin, 23,
Abdurahman, 27 and Supriyadi, 17.

The other four suspects refused to name themselves.

When asked about the identities of the four, none of the
police officers, including Nono, were willing to disclose them.

"We need to speak with Tubagus first on Monday and find out
what the attack was about. He asked our police chief of
detectives (Maj. Ahmad Alwi) to release his 10 men but we
refused," Nono argued.

Nono said up until this point in the investigation his
officers did not completely believe the suspects' version of
events.

"They all confessed that before the attack they had gone to
Tubagus' residence in Kalibata to attend a sermon," he said.

"When asked about the content of the sermon, none of them were
willing to answer. They said that they had come late and had just
followed people coming to Tubagus' house."

A vendor in the vicinity of Brawijaya Park, who witnessed the
attack, said he saw some 30 men waving machetes and knives and
shouting at the prostitutes to leave the area at about 11:30 p.m.
on Saturday.

"The prostitutes were scared ... they didn't dare speak. Then
the men started beating them," the vendor said.

According to city police data, this incident is the eighth
time the FPI has struck city residents in Greater Jakarta this
year.

One of the latest incidents took place on Thursday night when
135 FPI members ran amok and allegedly vandalized a karaoke bar
in Ciputat.

The attack left First Sgt. Andrianus P. Lestiono of the Elite
Police Mobile Brigade Unit (Brimob) injured.

But FPI member Jafar Sidiq, who is reported to have led the
attack, insisted there was no attack on any bar that night.

"About the police officer ... not one member of our group
carried a knife or a machete. So how could we hurt anybody? We
just had sticks. It's a lie that we attacked the police officer.
It was the crowd. There were hundreds," Jafar said. (ylt)