717 people nabbed in overnight raid
JAKARTA (JP): Police arrested 717 people in a massive overnight security-and-order operation in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi yesterday.
Police said the people arrested included suspected prostitutes, hoodlums, unlicensed alcohol sellers, unlicensed parking attendants, residents without legal identification cards and "three-in-one" children.
Three-in-one children are those who receive a fee for traveling with the driver of a car who is carrying less than the minimum three passengers on certain roads during peak hours.
Capt. Dwi Sigit of the operation and command control center of the city police, which carried out the operation, said the 717 people arrested during the operation, known as Kilat Jaya, consisted of 615 males, 92 females and 10 transvestites.
"They were nabbed in various places, such as bus terminals, red-light districts and on the street," Sigit said.
According to Sigit, 168 of the people arrested were apprehended in Central Jakarta, 166 in North Jakarta, 93 in East Jakarta, 86 in South Jakarta, 99 in West Jakarta, 63 in Tangerang, 30 in Bekasi and 12 in Depok.
After being detained at the respective local police stations for several hours, the people suspected of committing "minor violations" of the rules on security and order were made to line up in the scorching afternoon sun at the city police headquarters for more than one hour.
They were then handed over to various city agencies, such as the social service agency, to receive lectures on how to become law-abiding citizens.
Some of the detainees told The Jakarta Post that they very much deplored the way the authorities had arrested them. Some said they had been denied an opportunity to let their families know where they were. Others said they had been arrested simply because they had failed to produce their identification cards, having inadvertently left them at home.
"They arrested me while I was having a cup of coffee at a small coffee shop in Jatinegara at 4 p.m. yesterday, after I failed to show my identity card -- because it had been stolen," said Edi Siregar, 38.
He said he was unhappy because he had no way of letting his wife and children know that he was okay.
Indah, 18, who was also arrested for failing to produce her identification card, said: "I really can't understand why the police arrested me just because I left my identification card at home."
She said that the police had refused the Rp 75,000 (US$33) her sister had offered them to release her.
Indah said she was arrested while having dinner at a food stall on Jl. Gadjah Mada, West Jakarta.
Asked about the complaints, a police officer replied: "We know very well who and what they are."
Capt Sigit said: "Suspected criminals arrested in the operation were handled by local police offices."
Head of the Operation and Command Control Center, Col. Muhantojo, told reporters on Tuesday that the city police would intensify their security operations to ensure safety in the capital during the upcoming celebration of Indonesia's 50th year of independence on Aug. 17.
"Basically this is a routine operation, but police intend to intensify it in an effort to strengthen security in the city," he said, adding that the operation would crack down on people who disturbed public order. (bsr)