Police to take stern action on student brawls

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Police Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata ordered his subordinates yesterday to take stern action against student brawls which were becoming more violent.

"I have not yet received the latest reports on the brawls, but I have asked all officers at the police precincts to give extra attention to the brawls," Hamami said.

He said the South Jakarta Police Precinct had set up a program called Pelajar Siaga (Student Alert) to prevent student brawls. Students were trained to protect their neighborhoods in the two- week course.

"The program, held twice this year in South Jakarta, seemed to work. We plan to extend the program to other precincts," he said.

Hamami agreed with observers that student brawls had become crimes to some extent.

This week there has been a bus hijacking and students robbing other students on buses.

On Monday, students from a Central Jakarta technical high school stopped a bus on Jl. Kramat Raya and threatened students on the bus with knives and demanded their wallets. Some had sticks and belts with bicycle cogs attached to the buckles.

The attackers escaped when the bus reached the Kampung Melayu bus terminal, East Jakarta.

The next day dozens of a senior high school students attacked three students from a state senior high school and stole their wallets. They cut their victim's hands and forced them off the bus.

The three students, identified as Didi, Andi, and Yanto, reported the incident to police.

A similar incident occurred Wednesday when students from a private senior high school attacked students from a state senior high school in a bus on Jl. Salemba, Central Jakarta. They threatened them with knives and demanded their wallets. The attackers escaped at the Kampung Melayu bus terminal.

At least 15 students have been killed in city brawls this year. Most of the killers have not been caught.

Yesterday, many students from a Kelapa Gading private senior technical high school were involved in a brawl with students from another senior high school on Jl. Martadinata, North Jakarta.

The technical high school students threw stones at their rivals in a bus which smashed several of the bus' windows. They escaped when police tried to disperse them.

Police caught five students from the technical senior high school who fell in a swamp beside the Hotel Wisata. No one was injured in the brawl. (jun/leo)