Five students killed in 25 street brawls
JAKARTA (JP): Five students have been killed and 30 others injured in at least 25 street brawls recorded in the first two months of this year, an official said on Saturday.
Raya Siahaan of the city's Social Disturbance Control Center said this figure was quite alarming as in the whole of 1998 there were only 14 students killed and 26 injured in 197 street brawls.
"I don't understand what the capital's future is," Raya said.
He said that to prevent warring groups of students from recognizing each other, schools were urged last year to encourage their students to change from school uniform into casual clothes.
This method apparently did not work as well as expected as warring groups of students were able to recognize one another. "What cannot be understood is why the brawls happen so frequently," he said.
Raya reiterated that it was now time for the police to take really stern measures against students involved in brawling in order to help reduce fatalities.
"With stern measures students should learn their lessons," he said.
City councilor Nitra Arsyad said the main problem was that students today have "absolutely no fear" of the police and the military.
In previous years the city administration effected the Wijaya Kusuma operation to rid the city of students involved in street brawls.
"The students caught during the operation were sent to special schools run by district commands of the military," Nitra said.
He said that recalcitrant students used also to be taken to police stations to have their heads shaved.
"After some time, however, the Wijaya Kusuma operation was stopped as the city administration had no spare funds."
Nitra expressed concern over the inability on the part of police and the military to locate any student brawling.
"Both the military and the police can actually use intelligence officers to locate the student leaders," he said.
Secret list
Raya explained that a total of 32 institutions have been listed at his center as the capital's "warring schools."
"However, I cannot reveal the names... for fear of ruining the reputation of the schools," Raya said.
The center's data revealed that of the 197 brawls that took place last year, 68 happened in South Jakarta, 37 in Central and West Jakarta each, 29 in East Jakarta and 26 in North Jakarta.
"A number of South Jakarta areas remain the most prone to student brawls," Raya said.
Areas most prone to brawls in South Jakarta, according to the data, include Blok A, the Blok M bus terminal and market, Jl. Fatmawati, Tebet, Pasar Minggu, Kebayoran Lama, Pondok Pinang, Jl. Ciledug Raya and CSW-Bulungan.
In West Jakarta the areas most prone to student brawls include Jl. Gadjah Mada, the Glodok area, Kyai Tapa in Grogol, Roxy, Tomang, Jl. Mangga Besar, the Slipi and Palmerah areas, Jl. Daan Mogot, Cengkareng and Jelambar.
North Jakarta has Jl. Yos Sudarso, Jl. Kelapa Gadung, Cilincing, Jl. RE Martadinata, Jl. Pademangan, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Mangga Dua, Semper, Sunter Agung and Tanjung Priok among other areas prone to brawls.
In Central Jakarta they include Senen, Kramat Raya, Pasar Baru, Cikini, Cempaka Putih, Salemba Raya, Gunung Sahari, Hayam Wuruk-Gadjah Mada, Lapangan Banteng, Petojo-Roxy and Pegangsaan.
In East Jakarta they include the area in front of the Indonesian Christian University (UKI), Rawamangun, Jl. DI Panjaitan, Jl. Otista, Jl. Dewi Sartika, Jatinegara market, Matraman Raya, Kampung Melayu, Klender market, Jl. Pemuda and Jl. Pramuka. (ylt)