Capital welcome uneventful Christmas

Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakartans breathed with ease during the Christmas holiday, marked by only minor incidents across the city.

Police recorded three minor incidents that resulted in fatalities.

In one, an unidentified man was walking on Wednesday along the railway in Batu Ceper, Tangerang, when a speeding Jakarta- Tangerang train hit him from behind. A witness said he died instantly.

In another case, Andre Welas, 48, a resident of Jl. Jelambar Barat, West Jakarta, was enjoying drinks with his friend Tji Tjong Kiat on Wednesday at a discotheque in Glodok, Central Jakarta, when he suddenly had a seizure.

Tji said Andre was taken to Husada Hospital, South Mangga Dua, but could not be saved. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack.

On Thursday, high school student Rhamdani, 15, was electrocuted as he instinctively grabbed a high voltage cable to stop his fall from atop a commuter train.

Rhamdani and four of his friends had been sitting on the rooftop of the Jakarta-Bogor train when an officer at Pasar Minggu station, South Jakarta, ordered them to get down. They obeyed, then climbed back up as soon as they had a chance, but Rhamdani slipped and grasped the cable.

The student's body was taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Central Jakarta, before his parents arrived to claim it.

Also on Thursday, an unprovoked mob attack took place on Jl. Kertajaya, Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

Around 30 people attacked patrons of a coffee stall near a railway using knifes and sickles at around 2:30 a.m.

Five people suffered minor injuries to the back, chest and head: Hadi Kurnadi, 37; Sofyan, 33; Endang, 29; Alam, 39; and Samadi, 39. They claimed they had no idea as to why they were attacked by the mob, who came on a minibus.

Police are still investigating the incident.