Beware of 'pistol' packing youths in idyllic Bali

By I Wayan Juniarta

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Foreign visitors must consider an important tip, in addition to other more prosaic traveling tips, when visiting to Bali: Equip yourself with a bulletproof vest.

The tip has been made in response to the present situation in Denpasar, the province's capital city, which seems to be turning into a war zone, with hundreds of youths hanging around on the city's street corners carrying "pistol-guns".

Nyoman Gde Sugiharta, a social worker, said, "Fortunately, they are only toy guns."

Though they are only playthings, these "guns" are still dangerous. The plastic bullets, when shot from a short distance, can cause painful bruising on the target's body.

One of the victims, Widi, said, "It is so painful." She was shot by an unknown assailant while riding a motor cycle along a street in the downtown Sanglah area.

So far, most of the targets have been female students.

Previously, these toy guns were only popular among elementary school students in the city. Now, older students, junior and senior high school students, use these "guns" to attract and to seduce nice girls.

The father of a female victim said, "My daughter was very upset and was planning to take revenge against the attackers." He seized his daughter's pistol which was filled with metal bullets.

This capricious action of the young "shooters" has caused concern among Denpasar's residents, as revealed in the Denpasar Post's Letter to Editor section.

One father wrote: "When we sat in front of our house, two young boys shot my son in the forehead."

One of the more tragic incidents occurred when an old woman, on her first visit to Bali, was trapped in a student brawl in the Renon area as she was on her way to a hotel. She was so shocked, she collapsed and lay unconscious on the street.

A witness to the brawl said, "When she regained consciousness she shouted for help."

Widespread protests from parents and the whole community were voiced through Menara FM radio station, which held a special talk show on plastic guns.

Parents have expressed various worries, ranging from their children's safety to their anxiety over the possibility of other parties in the distribution of these toy guns creating instability on the tourist island of Bali.

There are, of course, many people who don't take this matter seriously. One listener commented: "It is only a trivial issue. We should not exaggerate this."

People also have different opinions on how to solve this problem. Some have suggested it should be tackled by religious and traditional community leaders.

Others suggest the police and legal parties handle this issue immediately but they are doubtful the police can do it properly.

Let. Col. Sadar Sebayang, chief of the Badung police precinct, has promised to give the necessary supervision to the delinquent youths.

Despite all concerns raised in the community, toy gun sales continue to flourish. Price at Rp 10,000 for a toy gun and Rp 1,000 for a plastic bullet, children can easily buy them from street vendors.

The toy guns are mostly copies of an automatic Springfield Armory 1911 A1 Defender or Commander, which have single-action mechanism only.

Yande, who admitted to possessing a fake Smith & Wesson Model 3904, said, "In the early l990s, Bali was also hit by 'gun fever'." But the price of his counterfeit gun was above Rp 100,000.

Meanwhile, the number of youngsters hanging around with toy guns is increasing at an alarming rate. During the day, they usually gather in front of their schools, moving to the city's alleys during the night.

The targets also include foreigners, especially those coming from Australia.

A witness to this in the Kuta tourist area said the shooters shouted, "Hey Aussie ... Aussie," then they shoot their targets.

Anthropologist Degung Santikarma, said many of the youths set their sights on young girls as their targets as a form of sexual expression toward the opposite sex.

This social phenomenon also reflects a sick society which blindly adores masculinity and power symbolized by guns.

Sociologist Putu Suasta, on the other hand, was not as surprised at the widespread actions of violence in Bali.

"The Balinese are basically a violent society. Their actions could sometimes be hardly understood by outsiders," explained Suasta.

On the Galungan festive day, for instance, they coldheartedly kill thousands of pigs and other animals as part of the celebrations.

But both Santikarma and Suasta agreed that the young shooters wrongful activities must be stopped immediately.

"It disturbs people's right of security and it is against the law," they said.

Sugiharta added that the police as well as society should not let these wrongdoings continue.

"By doing nothing, we are justifying their criminal actions," Sugiharta said.