Police efforts to end student brawls criticized

JAKARTA (JP): City Council Speaker M.H. Ritonga criticized the police and their sporadic efforts to get a handle on the student brawls that continue to break out around the city.

M.H. Ritonga, city police chief from 1989 to 1992, said yesterday that the city's strategy of sponsoring dialog sessions between the students and their parents was bearing little fruit.

"Action is usually taken right after the brawls. But it is almost impossible to change the students' habits and attitudes in a two-hour dialog," he added.

The latest round of student violence broke out last week, when two students were stabbed to death in a brawl. Another teenager was also mobbed to death by three people on Sunday.

Children must be taught about cultural norms and values as early as possible, he said.

"Parents should teach their children religious values at home. This way children will be ready to deal with outside influences," Ritonga said.

He said juveniles spend most of their time outside of their homes and with friends who can sometimes be a bad influence.

Neighborhood and community units should also set up youth organizations and activities to educate children, said Ritonga, adding that government and police efforts are useless if parents fail to educate their children.

"Unfortunately, most students see getting involved in brawls as a normal way to settle problems," he said.

When asked about the fact that many parents don't have time to spend with their children because they have to work every day, Ritonga said parents should not use their jobs as an excuse to abandon their children.

Student brawls occur in the city almost every day. Last year, 12 students were killed in 215 brawls, while in 1994, 10 were killed in 160 brawls.

In the last four days, three teenagers have been killed in brawls. Rachmat Hidayat, an 18-year-old technical high school student, and Hery Heriansyah, a 13-year-old junior high school student, were killed in two separate brawls in East and West Jakarta on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Raimon Sitepu, 18, was also killed on Sunday by a group of teenagers in front of his residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta. One of the assailants, caught and beaten by a mob, is currently being treated at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for his injuries. (yns)