Minister informed of obscene and threat calls

Minister informed of obscene and threat calls

JAKARTA (JP): State junior high school SMP 49 has filed a
report with the Ministry of Education and Culture regarding
obscene and threatening phone calls received by 30 of its
students last month, an official of the school said on Saturday.

Bambang Noegroho, deputy principal of the school, said an
official report was handed to the ministry's Jakarta office on
Thursday.

"Initially we did not want to expose the matter. We made the
report after the head of the ministry office, Alwi Nurdin, asked
us to a week ago," Bambang told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Bambang said Alwi asked for a report after reading articles in
Pos Kota and the Post dailies.

He said the report was received by Sulaiman Haryadi, the
education office's administration coordinator, on behalf of Alwi.

Bambang said the report listed the names of 24 schoolboys and
six schoolgirls, the dates they received obscene phone calls,
transcripts of interviews with the student and some of their
parents.

As reported earlier, some 60 students from SMP 49 and SMP 68,
two of the best junior high schools here, were ordered by
unidentified callers to mutilate their genitals and perform other
dangerous sexual acts.

Representatives of SMP 68 were not available on Saturday to
answer questions of whether they also filed a report with the
ministry.

The callers threatened the students with grade demotion if
they did not comply with their orders.

Most of the students suffered minor injuries to their genitals
after obeying the commands.

Some schoolboys told the Post last week that they were not
only told to tie rubber bands around their penises and stick the
tips of pencils into the holes of their penises, but were also
told to drink insecticide and give themselves electric shocks.

Most students carried out all the orders with the exception of
drinking insecticide and giving themselves electric shocks.

Bambang said his school, which is located on Jl. Raya Bogor in
East Jakarta, had not filed an official complaint with the
police.

"We felt it would be too much. Pak Sulaiman said that since
the school had resolved the problem internally, there was no need
to involve the police," Bambang said.

Psychiatrist Dadang Hawari and psychologists Gagan Hartana and
Joy Mangowal labeled the callers psychopaths.

Students interviewed by the Post last week said that the
callers had very soft voices.

Jason (not his real name), said the caller claimed to be Mrs.
Lubis, his Indonesian teacher.

"That's impossible. Mrs. Lubis is Batak and has a very
distinct voice. That caller was definitely lying," said Jason,
who had applied glue to his penis when ordered to.

Eddie, (not his real name), said the caller, who claimed to be
Mrs. Lubis as well, sounded very sweet and asked for the names of
good-looking school friends and their phone numbers.

"I did not suspect her in the beginning. So, I gave them to
her," Eddie said. (ylt)