8,000 illegal guns in N. Sumatra used for violent crimes, police say

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

About 8,000 illegal firearms are circulating in North Sumatra, many of which are being used for violent crimes, provincial police chief Insp. Gen. Iwan Pandjiwinata said on Thursday.

Iwan did not say how police had arrived at the estimate.

One of the biggest provinces in the country, North Sumatra is also one of the most crime-ridden, with armed robberies by gangs a regular occurrence.

Two people were killed and three others injured in two robberies on Jl. S. Parman and Jl. Kruing this week.

Iwan said that some of the armed robbers were believed to be from the same gang blamed for a recent robbery in Labuhan Batu, Medan.

"After investigating a series of robberies in the province, we have arrested several perpetrators believed to be Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists, and seized 15 firearms from them," Iwan told The Jakarta Post after attending a hearing with Commission I of the North Sumatra legislature.

He said most of the illegal firearms used in robberies in North Sumatra were likely to have been smuggled from Aceh by the separatists.

However, Commission I councillor Fahrizal Dalimunthe said he was doubtful that all the illegal guns were supplied from Aceh.

"I believe that most came from overseas," he said.

Fahrizal said his commission had often received reports about firearms smuggling through the Tanjung Balai and Belawan ports in North Sumatra.

"Firearms smuggling through Tanjung Balai and Belawan is not a new story. The police should be proactive and not make light of the matter," he said.

He urged the police to beef up security at all ports in the province to fight arms smuggling.

The string of recent armed robberies in Medan has worried the public, especially the ethnic-Chinese residents who are mostly the victims of these crimes.

Indonesian-Chinese community leader Vincent Wijaya said many residents had kept inside following the deadly robberies.

"Most of the Chinese residents don't dare to go out after 6 p.m. They'd rather stay at home to prevent themselves from being victimized," he said.

He said the widespread street crime had also affected foreign tourist arrivals, especially guests from Singapore and Taiwan.

Many foreigners, who had booked hotels, had canceled their visits, Vincent said.

"I heard this from friends overseas. They are afraid to come here not only because of the frequent robberies but also because of the travel warnings issued by several countries," he said.