Night travelers, beware, Lampung 'teeming with thugs'
Night travelers, beware, Lampung 'teeming with thugs'
Oyos Saroso H.N and M. Huzair, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung/Palembang
"Don't drive through Lampung province at night!"
This alarming message always rings loudly in the ears of Idul
Fitri travelers, whose thousands of cars pass through the
province from Jakarta to various cities on Sumatra. The message
is necessary as many roads in Lampung run through quiet, dark
forests, which are ideal spots for an ambush by thugs.
Due to the dangerous situation on the highways, many annual
travelers take various measures so they will not be the next
crime victim. Murni, 26, a resident in Labuhan Maringgai, East
Lampung, said that she has, over the last three years, chartered
a bus with a group of friends for safety reasons. The chartered
buses will take them from door to door.
"The bus doesn't even go through any bus terminals. It goes
directly to each passenger's home," said Murni, who has been
working for years in Jakarta. She and her friends pay Rp 250,000
each for the one-way trip from Jakarta to Lampung.
By chartering the bus, she feels safer because everyone on the
bus knows each other, and they are in sufficient number to put
off would-be criminals.
Additionally, their chartered bus will not have to stop at
Rajabasa Bus Terminal in Bandarlampung, which is notorious for
its criminals, thugs, extortionists and general filth.
Many people have become victims of extortion and other crimes
at Rajabasa. Although bus terminals on Java also have thugs and
criminals, they are not as vicious as those in Lampung, according
to one well-traveled Lampung local. "Don't stare at them or
reject their request for money. You can be stabbed," warned
Suyanto, a long-time resident of Lampung.
The bad reputation at the Rajabasa Terminal has prevented many
people from staying overnight in the bus terminal, even though it
is a key hub between Jakarta and other major cities on Sumatra.
Most of the recent arrivals to Bakauheni Port in Bandarlampung
prefer to stay at the port rather than the bus terminal. But
instead of getting to the terminal right away to continue their
journey, they stay at the port until sunup before heading over to
the bus terminal for the final leg of their journey.
"Sleeping in the port is much safer than in Rajabasa
Terminal," said Nur Achmad, 29, who was on his way home to
Pekanbaru, Riau province.
Besides the terminal, other areas are also prone to crime,
including almost all highways in the province.
According to police data, robbery and extortion have become
overly common crimes on the streets in the province, especially
after 1998, when the authoritarian Soeharto stepped down.
The thieves often take advantage of the damaged roads on the
highways. When they see cars slow down to a crawl in a bid to
navigate the gaping potholes in the road, they approach the car,
make them stop -- often with weapons -- and take all the
valuables from the people inside.
As the crime rate on the roads of Lampung normally increases
dramatically during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan,
police officers have been ordered to shoot criminals on sight.
The threat seems to be working as there have been just a few
reports of such criminal activity so far this year.
However, it also may be a result of travelers taking more pre-
cautionary measures by avoiding the roads and bus terminals of
Lampung completely.
More and more travelers now prefer to fly home, thereby
avoiding Lampung province altogether, if they live elsewhere on
Sumatra. Planes may be slightly more expensive than road or sea
transportation, but is much more convenient, safer and faster.
At present a Jakarta-Pekanbaru air ticket costs between Rp
350,000 and Rp 400,000, compared to Rp 300,000 for a bus ticket.
Pekanbaru can be reached in an hour by plane compared to some 24
hours and a dangerous trip through Lampung when going by bus.