Police finally act to stop raids by groups at entertainment centers

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)