Beggars swept from Bogor streets

BOGOR (JP): Local police have netted 14 beggars during a Friday raid here, an official has said.

The arrestees, all of whom are believed to be mentally ill, included two women, were taken immediately to the Bogor psychiatric hospital for medical treatment, Bogor Regency Police Chief Lt. Col. Edmond Ilyas said on Saturday.

Friday's operation, which was jointly conducted by the Bogor psychiatric hospital and the Ministry of Social Services' local office, was purely aimed at restoring public order, he said.

"The raid, which will be continued, is not meant to rescue these people from being possibly killed by angry mobs as an effect of the spreading rumors of 'ninja' murderers," Edmond explained.

Police in several towns and cities in East Java and Central Java have claimed that many people who have been caught red- handed by local residents killing witchcraft practitioners, Moslem teachers and scholars in the area were mentally disturbed.

This police finding, however, has led people to carry out their own kind of justice, beating to death any strangers they catch and believe to be the black-clad assailants.

So far, mobs have attacked, burned, hanged and beaten to death people found without identification or roaming the countryside in East Java and Central Java after dark.

According to Edmond, the raid on the street beggars who were also mentally ill had nothing to do with rumors here that many local Moslem preachers and alleged black magic practitioners have already been terrorized. (24/ivy)