Murder suspects 'gang members'

Murder suspects 'gang members'

JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta Police detectives identified on
Wednesday the three primary suspects who allegedly stabbed to
death a Betawi resident in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, in a
clash between the two ethnic groups on Monday, as members of a
gang headed by a Madurese.

South Jakarta Police chief of detectives Comr. Napoleon
Bonaparte identified the suspects as Suniran, Asmat and Ali
Mansyur, members of a group headed by a notorious hoodlum, named
Atam.

Napoleon said that Atam allegedly coerced food vendors in the
Kebayoran Lama traditional market, into paying his men money, so
that the traders' businesses were not disturbed.

"We believe that Atam and his men justified this type of
extortion by what he called a cleaning service. Atam owns garbage
trucks and his men clean up the garbage daily from around the
traders' kiosks in the market, for a price," Napoleon told
reporters on Wednesday.

"The price could reach between Rp 4,000 (US$ 4 cents) to Rp
8,000 per kiosk daily."

South Jakarta administration records state that there are
about 3,000 kiosks in the Kebayoran Lama traditional market.

"While Atam's men are suspects in the murder case, he himself
is now officially a suspect for extortion," Napoleon told
reporters.

"The murder was purely spontaneous... we are still
questioning 11 suspects over the murder."

The Monday stabbing of a Betawi, Iwan Setiawan alias Acong
occurred because a group of youths, including Iwan, conducted an
ID check on people passing Jl. Kangkung in Kebayoran Lama.

The ID check reportedly involved asking people whether they
were Betawi or Madurese, a move which angered Madurese residents
enough to track Iwan down, and kill him.

Meanwhile, Atam himself told reporters at South Jakarta Police
precinct that he had nothing to do with the stabbing, and was
depressed over the actions of his men.

"Please don't call me a hoodlum. I really don't know why this
has happened," Atam told reporters on Wednesday.

"The people who murdered Iwan were my men, but my only
relationship with them is connected with the cleanliness of the
Kebayoran Lama market."

With regard the extortion case, Atam strongly denied rumors
that he provided a Kebayoran Lama district official with Rp 25
million each month to extort money from market traders.

"That's a lie. I agree that some of my men are greedy. They
ask for more than what they deserve, but when it comes to me, I
do not pay bribes to anyone," Atam said. (ylt)