Jakartans taking it to the streets
Jakartans taking it to the streets
JAKARTA (JP): Pick-up trucks packed with Moslems highlighted the end of the Ramadhan fasting month in towns all throughout the country on Thursday evening.
Using trucks and other vehicles, the masses chanted and recited the praise Allahu Akbar (God is Great) as they toured the towns.
Similar rituals also took place in mosques all over Indonesia, home to the largest Moslem population in the world.
The annual evening celebration, which occurs on the eve of Idul Fitri, is known as Malam Takbiran.
In Jakarta, the annual convoy of vehicles started hitting the streets around 8 p.m. when thousands of trucks, pick-ups and sedans filled with people ventured to the center of the city.
The groups were present on all major roads from Jl. M.H. Thamrin and Jl. Jendral Sudirman to Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said, Jl. Letjen S. Parman and Jl. D.I. Panjaitan.
Colorful neon lights lit up shopping centers and hotels, further igniting the festive Idul Fitri celebrations in the capital city.
Each of the vehicles was equipped with a complete set of loudspeakers, cassette players, horns, drums and sticks.
City dwellers everywhere were treated to the beat of the traditional beduk mosque drum and the sound of people chanting the Takbir, or the greatness of God, at mosques until dawn.
At the Istiqlal Grand Mosque near the Monas Square in Central Jakarta, the Takbir was led by Julfata Yasin. The mosque was not too packed and the atmosphere was graciously serene.
This year, the ceremonies of Malam Takbiran were centered at Monas Square park and at the Istora Sport Hall in Senayan, also in Central Jakarta.
A great number of people flocked to the two areas to join the ritual festivities, including several high-ranking officers.
Though the deployment of 15,000 police and military officers significantly helped reduce traffic problems, some minor criminal violations and several more serious incidents took place over the holiday weekend.
One case involved a young man who was arrested for igniting a flare at Senayan stadium.
The flare, normally used by navy personnel to send SOS signals, went off, sending off a ball of flames towards the ceiling of the stadium which then fell on the stage, just several meters from the seats of dignitaries, including Minister of Religion Tarmizi Taher and Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro.
Police seized a 30-centimeter pipe used to hold the KM 52 flare light, produced by the Tokyo-based Koa Kako Co. Ltd., from the suspect, identified as Hs, who is still in police custody.
The Idul Fitri holidays were also marred by the deaths of more than a dozen people across the city.
According to records at the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital's mortuary, seven people were killed in traffic accidents on Thursday and Friday nights.
The deceased were identified as Karnadi, 24, a resident of Cengkareng, East Jakarta; Supriyanto, 20, resident of Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta; Dedy Hartono, 27, a resident of Tegal, West Java, Parlan bin Masrin, a resident of Kaliangke, West Java; M. Hendrik Tarig Effendi, 2, resident of Kranggan, South Jakarta; Wajli, 30, resident of Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta; and an unidentified man, around 30 years of age.
Three people were also murdered over the weekend. They were identified as Tony Elyas, 30, resident of Cakung district, East Jakarta; Ahmad Sangi, a 16-year-old high school student living in Paseban district, Central Jakarta; and Hidayat, 30.
The cause of the murder of Tony Elyias is still unknown while Ahmad Sangi was reportedly killed by some thugs near the Atrium building in Senen district, Central Jakarta on the eve of Idul Fitri after seeing a film with his friends.
Hidayat was reportedly beaten up on Friday morning by a mob of people who believed he was a criminal wanted in Pancoran district, South Jakarta.
The putrefied corpse of a woman with her head missing was discovered on the eve of Idul Fitri in Muaragombong, Bekasi.
Endro Siswanto, a university student in Surabaya, East Java, died on Friday after several days of treatment in the UKI hospital.
The student was admitted to the hospital last Saturday after being tortured by a city policeman in Cimanggis, Bogor.
His relatives told the Jakarta Post Friday at the hospital that the policeman, identified as Chief Sgt. S, came from the same hometown in Ngawi, East Java. They said he brutally assaulted Endro last Saturday because he suspected him of having had an affair with his wife. (bsr/mas/jsk/29)