Police warns of stern action against disruptive students

JAKARTA (JP): The police said yesterday they would no longer compromise with students who were caught brawling or carrying weapons.

City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said officers would take stern action against students who assaulted fellow students.

"Those who are found guilty will be processed in line with existing regulations. There's to be no more house detention, no more counseling programs," Aritonang said.

House detention involves a convicted person reporting regularly to the police.

He said the police had done enough to anticipate brawls, by providing programs like School Security Patrol Students and On- the-Alert Students, and had tried to be lenient on the students who had become more violent.

Aritonang said the police would intensify their crackdown on students, especially against those who owned or kept weapons.

Six high school students have reportedly died in brawls this year.

The latest victim, Madinah bin Simin, 18, who attended the private Panti Karya technical high school in Depok, died Monday after being mobbed by students from the private Kesuma Bangsa technical high school, also in Depok.

The police arrested three Kesuma Bangsa students for their alleged involvement in the incident. Nesan, 18, and M. Yahya, 16, were arrested at their homes in Depok later on Monday. The third, M. Husein, 16, was arrested yesterday at school.

Police said that previously officers would either separate the warring parties, or only detain those who were caught with weapons.

Those who were nabbed during brawls would be taken to the police station for questioning and counseling, and within 24 hours released. Only those who were thought to be guilty of more serious offenses would be detained for further questioning.

The program emphasized talking about the problem with students, parents, and schools rather than imposing harsh penalties.

City Council Speaker Edy Waluyo said Thursday that he regretted the increasing number of student brawls.

"They should have been stopped from the very beginning. Every one -- parents, teachers, and the public -- should take responsibility to help eliminate the problem," Edy said.

In the last week police have raided students on public buses and at places where students are known to hang out after school hours, Aritonang said.

He said Central Jakarta officers seized 12 sharp weapons Wednesday and arrested two students possessing weapons in a raid on a bus in Gambir.

On Thursday, police nabbed 70 students on public buses on Jl. Otista Raya and Jl. Ahmad Yani in East Jakarta, and seized weapons, including machetes, blades, knives, a samurai sword, and a sickle.

Police said seven of the 70 students who were caught with weapons, were detained for further questioning, while the rest were released after their teachers visited the police station.

On Tuesday, five students from the Ristek technical high school, also in East Jakarta, were arrested for possessing sharp weapons. (cst/ste)