One dead, three injured in student brawls

JAKARTA (JP): Widespread brawls involving warring groups of high school students and teenagers rocked the capital's streets on Saturday, killing one first-year student and severely injuring three others.

Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang confirmed that the brawls took place along several major streets. However, the cause of the fights are unclear.

The brawls, some of which took place until about 7 p.m., caused traffic to move at a snails pace, and frightened city residents, especially motorists who happened to be trapped in the fighting.

The one death and three injuries occurred during brawls involving students of the privately-run technical high schools STM PGRI 12 and STM 7 Harapan Jaya, along Jl. Daan Mogot in West Jakarta.

Six separate melees took place in the vicinity from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., according to an on-duty police officer of the West Jakarta police precinct.

All of the victims were rushed to nearby Sumber Waras Hospital.

"The brawls occurred as some students were going home and some were going to school for afternoon classes. The repeated brawls occurred as the students heard that one of their friends had died, so they wanted to get even," the officer, who declined to be identified, told The Jakarta Post.

"Students threw stones at each other, and if the police approached them they ran in different directions," the officer said.

The fatality, identified as 16-year-old Andi Syahrizal, a freshman at STM PGRI 12, was a resident of Cengkareng. He died of a fatal stab wound to his head.

The victim's father, Aris, 45, said that Andi had recently asked for additional allowance from his mother, Isah, as he planned to take an alternative route to reach his school in the Kampung Jawa district.

"Andi told his mother that he and some other students at his school were often halted by their 'long-time enemy' (students of privately-run STM 7 Harapan Jaya) on a street near Kampung Ambon," Aris, father of five children, said. He added that his son was a quiet young boy.

The three severely injured victims were identified as students Philips and Nanang Sumarna, and Dede Suwanto, an onlooker. The three had head wounds, received from sharp weapons.

According to Aritonang, "the police arrested 21 students involved in a brawl on Jl. Plumpang in North Jakarta on Saturday, and another 32 students involved in a brawl on Jl. Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta."

"They (students) will undergo questioning, and if it is proved that they have committed criminal acts, they will be further processed. If not, we'll summon their parents before releasing them," Aritonang said.

Aritonang said that even though it is common knowledge that teenagers are normally unable to control their anger and want to show their bravery in street brawls, the brawls are intolerable, as they disrupt public order and endanger other people's safety.

"It's frightening. Students can throw stones or bricks at cars, and they can suddenly attack onlookers who want to stop the brawl. Apart from the fact that any street brawl will cause traffic congestion," he said.

However, Aritonang said that the public should realize that the police can only take action as soon as the brawls erupt, not before the brawls occur, in an attempt to prevent further and wider clashes.

Other student brawls took place at around 4 p.m. on Jl. Pemuda in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, and in the Casablanca area of South Jakarta. (emf)