Anti-riot cobra?

I am astounded the "This Odd World" column on March 26, 1997. I have never imagined an army asking the Indonesian people to trust them playing their dual political and social role, and run short of their logical tactics, hiding behind snakes to frighten people, whatever their reasons are.

One woman responded very cleverly and politely to this in Kompas recently when the anti riot squad wanted to use cobras. I hope that military leaders are not only verbose but sensitive to the needs of the people.

The Safari Garden has been campaigning for love and peace between the human and cobra species, whilst one TV station showed expat children playing games with such snakes a few weeks ago. It is strange that a government agency exposes these frail creatures to dangers which may result in their dismemberment, a reaction common amongst people of the kampong when greeting the cobra.

TUTY

Jakarta