Hooligans cause Rp 2.4 billion loss

BANDUNG: State railway company PT Perumka suffered an estimated financial loss of Rp 2.4 billion after soccer hooligans broke thousands of windows in a war of stones on April 3 and April 4.

Perumka president Edie Haryoto said here on Tuesday that a total of 3,431 windows on a number of executive and economy cars were smashed when hooligans on trains pelted houses along their route and the residents responded in kind. In addition, various facilities on 43 stations along the route from Jakarta to Surabaya in East Java were also damaged.

Edie regretted the government's decision to take home the soccer fans, many of whom traveled to Jakarta to attend the recent Indonesian Soccer League playoffs without adequate financial means, by train rather than by ship as he had suggested.

Nine supporters died when they were hit by a train in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta. Another was electrocuted in Jatinegara in East Jakarta, while two others fell off a train roof. Many of the hooligans also looted shops when the trains pulled into stations. (43)