Mid-May mayhem boost arms business

Mid-May mayhem boost arms business

By Christiani SA Tumelap

JAKARTA (JP): The capital is officially a million miles from
the Wild West of cowboy films because carrying guns or even sharp
weapons on the streets will see you end up in jail.

But nightmares of the mid-May mayhem that pierced the hearts
of many people have left the public with one certain message: arm
yourself rather than be forced to suffer in the anarchy of
another riot.

Many Jakartans, especially middle- and upper-class people, are
now increasingly equipping themselves with weapons of self-
defense.

The arms vary. Semiautomatic M-16 assault rifles, revolvers,
machetes, tear gas launchers, sleeping-gas spray guns and even
antirape corsets have all hit the market in the last 10 weeks.

A 31-year-old financial analyst of Chinese origin said he now
always carried a palm-sized tear-gas spray gun which he bought in
America two years ago.

"Who would have known that this stuff would mean a lot to me
now. I bought it because it looked funny.

"It passed the customs check at the airport because the
officers had no idea what it was. It looks more like an asthma
inhaler," the Chinese-Indonesian, who asked for anonymity, told
The Jakarta Post last week.

Protection schemes differ from family to family, depending
upon people's economic status and personal background.

Hasan, a 55-year-old father of two sons and a daughter who
lives in Joglo, West Jakarta, said he armed each member of his
family with a machete to be kept both near their beds and in
their cars to protect themselves from attackers.

"I keep my faith and believe that nothing bad will ever happen
again, but taking precautions is always the best option," said
Hasan.

He also keeps a gun in his house but refuses to give any
details about it.

Underwear

Among the self-defense equipment, the antirape corset --
fortified with a combination lock -- is perhaps the most unique.

According to shop owner, Simon Sanjaya, who claims to have
invented the item, thousands of women, mostly Chinese-Indonesians
from Jakarta and ranging from as young as nine to 60 years old,
have bought the chastity belt costing Rp 100,000 (US$7.15), from
his store in the West Java capital of Bandung.

One of the his assistants, Santi, told the Post last weekend
that more than 1,000 corsets had been sold in each of the two
months since the May riots.

The corset is made of 0.6-millimeter stainless steel tailored
with artificial leather to fit the waist and groin.

"We always encourage interested buyers to come here in person
because the corset is made to fit the body. It is supposed to be
worn without any underwear at all.

"However, most women prefer to wear it inside their
underwear," Santi said.

"Please, don't forget the combination numbers or else you'll
have to cut it with pliers and get a new one," she reminded.

Besides the antirape device, the shop in Rajawali Plaza also
offers sleeping-gas canisters and sharp-weapon proof vests and
jackets.

Harmful

According to Santi, the sleeping-gas canister -- shaped like a
portable fire extinguisher -- is not yet selling well.

Priced at Rp 7 million, the tube, weighing approximately 30
kilograms, is designed to be connected to pipes installed on the
outside wall of a house or building.

With a pressure of 70 atmospheres, the gas causes anyone who
stands in the two-meter spray-range to fall asleep for about
eight hours in just 20 seconds after inhaling the colorless and
odorless fumes.

"The gas is actually similar to that used for medical
operations by anesthetists," she said.

But, Santi admitted, many visitors worried they might not be
able to use it properly and, instead, could become an unwitting
target of their own security system.

Similar to the antirape corsets, the stabproof vests and
jackets costing between Rp 200,000 and Rp 650,000 each are also
proving popular.

Designed in various sizes and materials, the vests and jackets
include a 0.5-millimeter metal plate in both the front and back
and sleeves (for the jacket).

Another device selling well in Jakarta is a gas ejector stick.

Offered at Rp 1 million each, the gas which shoots out from
the 48-centimeter long, 4.7-kg stick, can paralyze a large group
of targets for between 10 and 20 minutes as it affects the
respiration system and eyes.

A salesman of a company which distributes the "gun" from an
office on Jl. Gajah Mada in West Jakarta said the weapon is sold
complete with a legal license issued by the police.

"You'll get the item only after we get the license. We have a
contact to arrange the document," he said. (cst)