Beware of 'pistol' packing youths in idyllic Bali

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.