Hard-line tactics advocated for soccer hooligans

JAKARTA (JP): A criminologist has faulted the authorities for being too soft in handling East Java soccer hooligans, accused of misdemeanors ranging from stealing food to muggings.

Adrianus Meliala of the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Sciences told The Jakarta Post Saturday that police and military officers should have been tougher to deter them from repeating the offenses.

Thousands of East Java soccer fans arrived last week for the National Soccer League championship. Some of the fans are bonek, slang for penniless people who use their wiles to get by.

Adrianus feared the hooligans would construe the leniency as a tacit endorsement of their actions.

They have vandalized public facilities, including the trains which transported them, and harassed many people. About 630 hooligans were caught on Thursday.

"These penniless hooligans will surely do the same thing again next time because they believe there will be no sanctions for their actions," Adrianus said.

They believe that regardless of the damages they have caused, they will still be accommodated, fed and transported back to their hometowns free of charge, he said.

"There also is an indication the fans extorted and robbed Jakarta residents to live up to the label given them by the public as the "daring" ones," he said.

"Moreover, the less money they have in their pockets, the braver they will be," Adrianus said.

Meanwhile, City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said yesterday the police had officially arrested at least 10 of the hooligans for alleged involvement in robberies and extortion.

"It's not easy to nail all involved in crimes here because most of the victims, especially the vendors whose food was stolen by the fans, hesitated to report the cases," he said.

The victims might be thinking that it would be very difficult to recognize the suspects amongst hundreds of strange faces, he added.

The police began sending soccer fans back to Surabaya by sea and land transportation on Saturday in a bid to help ease the problems, he said. About 700 were sent back in a naval ship and buses.

Despite this action, East Java soccer fans continue to flood the city to watch the final between Bandung Raya and Persebaya Surabaya today. Another 940 were netted on Saturday and Sunday.

Those in detention are accommodated at several social welfare buildings, Aritonang said. (cst/12)