Police finally act to stop raids by groups at entertainment centers

JAKARTA (JP): The year 2000 was marked by violent raids conducted by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) on several businesses which the Front considered sinful.

The raids have resulted in damages to entertainment centers and nightspots, injuries, even death of man at one of the raided places.

FPI's act of vandalism started to grab the public's attention in April after they raided a karaoke bar in Ciputat, seriously damaging the place. The raid ended with an attack on an officer of the elite Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

At the end of the month, police arrested 10 FPI members for attacking three female prostitutes and an 18 year-old transvestite at Brawijaya Park in Kebayoran Baru.

The transvestite suffered serious machete wounds to her left shoulder and arm while the prostitutes suffered machete wounds and facial bruises.

The arrested men confessed that they had been acting under the order of FPI leader Tubagus Abdurrachman who later denied the statement.

"FPI never ordered an attack on those who were mobbed... though it is no secret that those who were mobbed were very sinful people. My members did what they did, without telling me," Tubagus has said.

In May, SCTV television station stopped the rerunning of popular Latin-American soap opera Esmeralda, after FPI asked the TV station to do so saying that the series had defamed the religion by naming one of its antagonistic character Fatimah.

Fatimah is also the name of Prophet Muhammad's daughter.

In June, thousands of FPI members raided several nightspots in the capital demanding the operators respect the Islamic holiday, marking Prophet Muhammad's birthday.

They included some night clubs and karaoke bars on Jl. Blora in Central Jakarta, Lokasari entertainment center on Jl. Mangga Besar in West Jakarta, and Fashion Cafe on Jl. Sudirman, also in Central Jakarta.

However, the group started to receive protests after they attacked the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) secretariat on Jl. Latuharhary in Central Jakarta, demanding the abolishment of the commission saying that it had failed to provide a fair report on human rights abuses in the Tanjung Priok case.

Armed with rocks and rattan sticks the group shattered windows at both the commission building and a security post in front of the secretariat.

In July, FPI members burned and destroyed 82 kiosks on the Tahang riverbank in Salembaran Jati village of Kosambi subdistrict, Tangerang, saying the places had been used for prostitution.

Apart from the FPI's actions, FPI leader Habib Saleh bin Abdullah Alatas was fatally shot on July 23 in front of his house on Jl. Percetakan Negara in Central Jakarta by his nephew and an accomplice over a plot of land and a house on the street. The police dismissed any political motives behind his murder.

FPI's acts of vandalism continued throughout the year on several places in the capital including cafes and bars in Tebet in South Jakarta, Depok in West Java, along Jl. Blora in Central Jakarta, and several billiard centers.

Another group, however, started to mimic FPI's actions. The group members have been seen wearing all-black outfit with the name Front Hizbullah written on their jackets.

Witnesses also said that it had been the group which attacked the Salsa Club cafe and the Pasir Putih Seafood Market Grill & Bar, both in Kemang, South Jakarta, earlier in December causing losses of hundreds of millions of rupiah.

In response to FPI's acts, the National Police eventually announced on Dec. 7 that they would no longer tolerate the group's unlawful activities and would take stern measures if the group conducted more raid.

The statement was made by police spokesman Brig. Gen. Saleh Saaf the day after FPI members attacked the Mickey Mouse pinball arcade at the food court of the Megamal Pluit shopping center in Pluit, North Jakarta, which have been used for gambling.

Six security personnel guarding the arcade were injured from the attack.

On Dec. 11, policemen shot at a truck loaded with FPI members in a bid to stop the group who had just vandalized four game centers at the Taman Duta Mas shopping complex in Jelambar, West Jakarta.

No injury were reported from the shooting since the police personnel only shot the truck's tires.

FPI leaders condemned the shooting saying that police had been backing up gambling places. (jaw)