Batam rocked by mysterious murders

Batam rocked by mysterious murders

BATAM, Riau: Mysterious murders are on the increase on the
industrial island of Batam, where at least six people have been
killed by unidentified assailants since January, local police
said on Wednesday.

The killers had since disappeared and were still at large.

Barelang Police chief Sr. Comr. Suhartono said he would
continue to work hard to capture the killers. "The problem is
that witnesses who have information on the cases refuse to help
us in the investigation."

It is not clear whether the murders are linked. The victims
include two elementary school-aged girls, a ship's captain and an
Indonesian employee working for a Japanese company.

The police's failure to arrest the murderers has been
criticized by local legislators and activists.

Deputy speaker of the Batam legislative council Muhammad Nabil
said the local police must be able to boost their performance
after the administration had allocated police an extra Rp 1
billion. --JP