Drunk soldiers beaten by mob

JAKARTA (JP): Two drunk Army privates suffered serious injuries during a brawl with a group of men in a notorious section of Kemayoran district in Central Jakarta early on Wednesday, police said.

The brawl occurred at the site of a disused Merpati Nusantara Airlines hangar which now houses drinking establishments frequented by prostitutes.

Second Pvt. Almada, 23, First Pvt. Ramei, 25, and a third unidentified soldier were drinking in the area late on Tuesday, Kemayoran Police chief Maj. Edy Iswanto said in quoting witnesses.

The three were already drunk when they provoked a group of men drinking in a bar by taking away their drinks.

A fight broke out, with the soldiers brandishing knives against the men, who retaliated with broken bottles.

Edy could not say how many people were involved in the fight but said the soldiers were outnumbered, especially after the third soldier fled to try to notify his colleagues from the Army's Heavy Armor battalion.

Two trucks from the battalion based in nearby Senen district arrived later, but by then the crowd had dispersed.

The two badly hurt soldiers were taken by pedicab drivers to Kemayoran Police station, where officers transported them to Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta.

Jakarta Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. D.J. Nachrowi confirmed the incident and said an investigation was under way. (06)