JP/3/Cleansing/set lead 3 cols 10 pts/12 MB

JP/3/Cleansing/set lead 3 cols 10 pts/12 MB

Hendro: "Jakarta is secure"

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen.
Hendroprijono said yesterday security in the city was under
control, denouncing reports that a curfew would be imposed amidst
rumors of racial riots hitting the city.

"We are not at war. No curfew is imposed during Operation
Cleansing. There were only raids on people who gather and loiter
all night drunk or half-drunk," said the two-star general
yesterday after the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction
of the Jakarta military commander's official residence on Jl.
Teuku Umar No. 60, Central Jakarta.

The general was quoted by local papers on Tuesday as saying
that an army curfew was being imposed as part of Operation
Cleansing. Hendroprijono, popularly called Hendro, says he was
misquoted.

Lt. Gen. HBL Mantiri, chief of staff of the Armed Forces for
general affairs, also said in a nationwide television statement
that Hendro was misquoted.

The Jakarta military command yesterday received a series of
telephone calls from foreign news agencies and an embassy asking
for clarification of the curfew reports.

"We need no curfew. Jakarta is secure. Only one or two persons
tried to mess the security. But we already captured some of them,
including paid killers and drug traffickers, as you saw yesterday
(Tuesday)," Hendro said, referring to the haul during the ongoing
anti-crime operation put on display at East Jakarta Military
Headquarters on Tuesday.

Almost 500 drunkards and criminals have been apprehended in
the first ten days, along with 40,000 bottles of spirits, five
firearms and 100 sharp weapons.

Hendro said the operation's squad started to examine begadang
(slang for "talking and gathering at night") people starting from
11 p.m. every night, to find if they were drunk or carrying sharp
weapons.

Hendro also said after ten days the operation, initially
involving 16,700 personnel recruited from the army, navy, air
force and police forces, many volunteers have joined, including
the "mosque youth," the KNPI (Indonesian Youth National
Committee) and martial arts organizations.

"The personnel has tripled now. The public gets braver," said
the commander, who peppered his interview with a lot of jokes and
laughter, as usual.

Rumor

Hendro also denounced rumors that some areas in Jakarta have
been paralyzed by racial riots.

"It's useless rumors spread by some irresponsible individuals
who can do nothing anymore. We can detect anything they want to
do," said Hendro.

The general declined to identify "they".

Many papers were telephoned by unidentified persons Tuesday
evening saying that racial riots occurred in Tanjung Priok,
Glodok business area and Senen shopping centers as well as in
areas along Jl. Jendral Sudirman, all apparently not true.

"The rumors must be spread by a crazy man who telephoned
everywhere. We would be stupid to believe it," said Hendro.

The Post also received phone calls from a foreign embassy and
a number of individuals seeking clarification about the rumors on
race riots.

The fake mail bomb delivered to the U.S. embassy on Tuesday,
he said, might have been sent by the same person who spread the
rumors about the riots.

Hendro yesterday also presided over the groundbreaking
ceremony marking the start of the construction of army barracks
at Yon Arhanudse-6 (the Medium Air Defense Artillery Battalion-6)
in Legoa district, North Jakarta. (jsk)