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)