Jakarta's mean streets dish up more grizzly crimes

By K. Basrie

JAKARTA (JP): In terms of crime, this year was kicked off with a street clash on Jan. 9 between two hoodlum gangs in Tanah Abang with members brandishing samurai and machetes to settle a disputed over "business territory".

And the year was capped off with the discovery of dozens of bodies and skulls of aborted fetuses and babies in North and Central Jakarta in late November. The macabre unearthing prompted a debate on abortion which has polarized the city's 10 million residents.

Throughout the year -- which is the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese calendar -- Jakarta has witnessed a wide variety of crimes, ranging from gruesome to high-profile incidents.

In the lead up to the May 23 general election, violent riots descended upon the city, leaving death and great financial loss in its wake. At least three soldiers were killed here while securing the event and the exact number of civilian deaths remains unknown.

Bomb hoaxes were an almost daily occurrence, sending the public into a panic during an undeniably tense period.

The National Soccer League finals in July was another opportunity for unruliness. Thousands of hooligans, mostly fans from regional soccer clubs flocked to Jakarta and proceeded to irk traders, motorists, passers-by and city authorities.

About 630 soccer fans were detained on various charges, including vandalism, extortion and pickpocketing.

Most of the cases which have attracted widespread media attention, however, rarely had anything to do with politics or football. It was all about money.

Hitting pay dirt

The kidnapping of business tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, the increasing role of foreigners in drug smuggling, the endless clashes in Tanah Abang, the theft of gold and the dumping of aborted fetuses and babies were among the high-profile police investigations.

Nursalim, the owner of Bank Dagang Negara Indonesia (BDNI), was allegedly abducted on Sept. 2 by at least nine men who demanded a ransom of Rp 15 billion which had to be transferred in U.S. dollars to a bank in Singapore.

He was released three days later after his family transferred at least Rp 12 billion to the appointed bank.

When the victim reported it to police, city detectives busted eight of the suspects, including a Singaporean, in different places, including the Malaysia capital of Kuala Lumpur, the following month.

Most of the big drug-related cases this year have involved foreigners. (see related article on this page)

And foreigners have also tried their hand at working as illegal entertainers or prostitutes and engaging in the theft of phone pulses.

In early August, a dozen foreign women were nabbed by the immigration office after being caught red-handed working as prostitutes here.

On May 20, two Japanese men were detained by customs officers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for trying to smuggle several protected species -- consisting of 33 malu-malu (loris or Nycticebus coucang), four alap-alap eagles (Elanus hypoleocus), three Rajawali hawks and two owls.

They were arrested while trying to leave Jakarta for Tokyo on a Japan Airlines flight.

Hot spots

Tanah Abang was the hottest address in the city with clashes, disputes and riots dominating news about the area. No one was spared as residents, hoodlums, traders and public bus drivers were swept into the fray.

Three weeks after the Jan. 6 gang war, a violent conflict erupted between hundreds of roadside vendors and city public order officials there. The Jan. 27 clash culminated in the burning of two municipal buildings and seven cars.

The situation heated up again when mikrolet minivan drivers went on strike to protest the collection of illegal levies by hoodlums.

And just a few weeks ago, Tanah Abang was again rocked by clashes, this time between residents and hoodlums. At least two people were killed, prompting the city authorities to go all-out against hoodlums.

The year was also marked by a remarkable but puzzling series of armed robberies, with gold topping the list of prized booty. Why puzzling? Because only a few offenders were apprehended.

At least 20 kilograms of gold has been snatched by criminals, who have opened fire on anyone who got in their way, killing a police sergeant and injuring civilians.

At midday on May 3, a group of thieves fired four rounds into a display counter of a gold shop on Jl. Paseban Raya in Central Jakarta and escaped with two kilograms of gold.

On June 8, 1.2 kilograms of gold and Rp 8 million was stolen by intruders in a house on Jl. Gunung Sahari Raya in Central Jakarta.

On the morning of Aug. 1, a group of men armed with guns and machetes ambushed a small convoy of vehicles which was carrying two kilograms of gold along Jl. Dr. Susilo in Grogol, West Jakarta.

One of the bandits slashed and fatally shot First Sgt. Witono of the elite police Mobile Brigade Unit, who was assigned to escort the convoy.

A few weeks later, police announced that nine of the suspects had been arrested from various regions, including in East Java. One of the perpetrators -- believed to be the one who shot Witono -- was shot dead by police.

The latest gold robbery was again staged in broad daylight. A gang of at least four men broke into a gold shop on Jl. Rawasari in Central Jakarta after firing several shots in the air to scare passers-by. They made off with about four kilograms of gold during the theft which lasted less than 20 minutes at midday on Dec. 14.

Turning up the heat

The discovery of dumped fetuses and babies -- which may account for more than 60 skeletal remains -- opened one chapter in the long-hidden story of abortion practices performed by doctors and medical staff at some clinics in the city.

The unexpected find of 11 fetuses and babies in Warakas, North Jakarta, on Nov. 21, resulted in the closure of two clinics and the arrest of dozens of suspects, including two doctors. The skulls of fetuses and babies were later found in a school and a clinic compound.

During the year, con men used hypnotism to swindle people out of their money.

Even the well-educated were entrapped, saying they were totally helpless and had to obey the robbers' instructions. They handed over jewelry and other valuables or withdrew their entire savings from bank accounts for the thieves.

Suspects were not given a second chance if they placed the lives of police officers in danger. The unwavering stance of police to shoot suspects who resisting arrest or attacking police remained relentless this year.

At least 85 people were shot dead by city police.

Most of the shootings took place during arrests or when suspects were accompanied on a search for accomplices or their hiding places.

But it was not only criminals that bore the brunt of police crackdowns, as the rank and file were also targeted.

On Aug. 8 and Aug. 9, for instance, a massive blitz on discipline caught 60 Armed Forces (ABRI) members unawares at several nightspots, which are off-limits for servicemen.

Far away from the bright lights of discotheques and pubs, a record number of people -- most of whom were believed to be criminals -- were attacked by angry residents in retaliation for illegal acts. About 90 people were assaulted in neighborhoods throughout the city, and some of this number died as a result.

Last year, the number was about three dozen.

Authorities warned against people taking the law into their own hands but it seemed to have little effect on mob rule here.

On April 21, angry vendors in the Jembatan Lima fruit market in West Jakarta assaulted and cut off the ears of an alleged thief, Mansur, who was said to be caught red-handed stealing fruit and money from a vendor.

Banking on returns

Newspapers were inundated with stories of white-collar crime, with an increasing number of banks caught up in scams.

Most of the high-profile cases were once again committed by bank employees. Noted businessmen Kim Johannes and Made Oka Masagung were even accused of allegedly being involved in a bank scandal.

Four employees of the central bank were also arrested in August for their allegedly role in a conspiracy with executives of a private bank.

At least Rp 2.5 trillion was at stake in a series of rackets in the capital alone. Those banks touched by the schemes included state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia 1946 (BNI) and privately owned Bank Arta Prima, Bank Perniagaan and Bank Dwipa.

The bankers allegedly took advantage of their positions in the banks to authorize and arrange fictitious loans, commercial papers, bonds and certificates of deposit.

While police were busy solving crime, the fire department was called in to stop the city turning to ash.

With a prolonged dry season, a lack of fire safety equipment in buildings and the public's lack of awareness the large number of fires became an annual record.

According to the latest figures released by the Jakarta Fire Department, there were 1,186 fires this year, compared to a previous record of 1,082 fires in 1982.

Fires have so far killed 38 people, including the 15 victims of the Dec. 8 inferno on the top levels of Bank Indonesia's new tower. Damages were estimated at Rp 90 billion.

One of this year's fire fatalities included firefighter Danu Sisworo, who was killed on April 4 while trying to extinguish the Harco Mangga Dua blaze in West Jakarta. He was accompanying his wife on a medical checkup at a hospital when he was called in.

Mean streets

Two or three people died on Jakarta roads every day this year.

"The number of traffic fatalities in August was 166, up from 155 in July. Most of the accidents took place on toll roads and were caused by speeding or reckless driving," Col. Fachrudin Bakar, chief of the Jakarta Traffic Police Directorate, said.

On Sept. 14, an accident on the narrow Cakung-Cikunir toll road resulted in 35 deaths and dozens of others were hospitalized.

Other less sensational crimes have nevertheless gained public attention, including the rising number of ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers killed and robbed by passengers.

Crimes against expatriates, including diplomats, also featured.

On the evening of July 21, for example, Palestinian Ambassador Ribhi Awad was forced to shoot an alleged thief who attempted to rob and stab him.

Other foreign envoys claimed that street crimes against them, their families and property have become routine and police paid little attention to their reports.

On Dec. 7, Canadian Jon Joseph Mitchon, 38, was fatally stabbed, allegedly by the young brother of his local wife. The 20-year-old suspect told police that he was offended by Jon calling his sister a hooker.

With the downturn in the nation's economy and rising number of unemployed people, many predict that crime will significantly worsen next year.

But no one really knows what is in store next year, the Chinese Year of the Tiger.

Last year, many soothsayers predicted that 1997 would be riot free because riots are uncharacteristic for the Year of the Ox.

But the facts prove that Jakarta was hot for the ox.