Jakarta authorities brace for possible spread of killings

JAKARTA (JP): City authorities are on the alert to prevent the possibility of a spate of mysterious killings of sorcerers, known locally as santet, from reaching the capital after it was reported to have spread from East Java into Central Java and West Java, officials said on Friday.

"Security personnel have been put on the alert. I hope that people will inform the authorities if they see any signs of the killings spreading here," city police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman told reporters after a meeting with high-ranking city officials at the City Hall.

Noegroho said the public would also be encouraged to improve their neighborhood security patrols to prevent the mysterious killing spree from taking hold in Jakarta.

He was accompanied by Central Jakarta Mayor Andi Subur Abdullah, East Jakarta Mayor Andi Mappaganty and North Jakarta Mayor Subagyo when he met the press.

So far, he said, the city has remained secure against the hysteria surrounding santet in other parts of Java. No extra security has been deployed at places frequented by victims elsewhere, such as Islamic boarding schools.

Information released by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) suggests that at least 147 people had been killed in regencies of East Java. A number of victims have been accused of practicing sorcery, although many were later found to be Moslem preachers and Koranic teachers.

Governor Sutiyoso also said on Friday that the mysterious killing spree must be kept out of Jakarta.

"We have to safeguard Jakarta so as not to project the image that Indonesians are barbaric," he said in a meeting with chief editors and senior journalists.

It has been reported that the mysterious killings have spread to Central and West Java.

In the village of Margasana in Serang, West Java, a 55-year- old farmer identified as Jajul bin Suhaemi was submerged in a mosque's water tank before being beaten to death by an angry mob.

Mappaganty said that to avoid more killings, he would gather ulemas, Islamic teachers, neighborhood community heads and other local community leaders to establish effective ways to guard against the menace.

"I have scheduled a meeting with ulemas and Islamic teachers on Oct. 31. We'll discuss whether places like Islamic boarding schools need special security," he said.

He said that Islamic boarding schools, which number more than 40 in East Jakarta, should improve their own security systems in the meantime.

Mappaganty said that he would stress the importance of guarding against the killings to community leaders.

"If they find any indication of killings motivated by this superstition they should report it to their superiors immediately," he said.

He also said the mayoralty had urged people to improve their neighborhood security watches to guard against the killings reaching Jakarta.

Andi Subur said that he had urged Central Jakarta residents to tighten up their neighborhood patrols.

"It is the most effective way of securing our own safety," he said.

Andi said he planned to tour the mayoralty's subdistricts, and neighborhood security posts to impress the importance of the matter. (ind)