Public places new hot spots for student brawls

JAKARTA (JP): Student brawls near schools have become less frequent since August as troublemakers target more crowded areas, an official of the city's public order office said yesterday.

Toha Reno, head of the office's subdivision, said the new trend had been attributed to students wanting to avoid their old stomping grounds, which were guarded by security officers.

"The students prefer crowded areas where they can easily slip away among vehicles, people or buildings if they become involved in brawls," he said.

According to Toha, there is no evidence that the brawls are provoked by a particular party.

"The main cause of the brawls is still a kind of solidarity among friends," he said.

Toha said that his office was working closely with other related agencies, especially police, to help end the brawling.

He said in a bid to help reduce these incidents, his office had set up joint programs with other agencies to create activities for students during school holidays.

He said that his office's main responsibility was to monitor and control public order, including the regular sites of brawls.

"It's impossible to watch them all day," he said.

The public order office recorded last month 12 cases of brawling in which three students died, 13 were injured and 147 others were briefly detained for questioning.

This month, three other students have died in student brawls.

According to the office's data in 1996, there are 11 bus shelters and terminals considered to be potential hot spots for brawling.

They include: Gambir, Pasar Baru, Pintu Air, Lapangan Banteng Utara near Jakarta's central post office and Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta; Cililitan, Rawamangun and Pulo Gadung in East Jakarta; Gunung Sahari in North Jakarta; and Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta.

The data also revealed 247 brawling sites, of which 53 are located in Central Jakarta, 35 in North Jakarta, 46 in West Jakarta, 56 in South Jakarta and 57 in East Jakarta.

There are also a list of problem schools whose students regularly become involved in brawls -- 23 in Central Jakarta, 40 in South Jakarta, 16 in West Jakarta, 21 in East Jakarta and 16 in North Jakarta.

Among the problem schools in Central Jakarta are the senior technical high school STM 1, STM Grafika and senior high school SMA PSKD.

In South Jakarta the primary concerns are include the junior high school SMP 12, STM Manggarai Utara, SMA Percik and SMA Taruna Jaya.

In West Jakarta, the blacklist includes SMP PGRI 5, STM PGRI 11 and SMA Cengkareng, while in East Jakarta the schools STM Budi Utomo, STM Penerbangan and SMA Kelapa Dua are among the problem institutions.

The North Jakarta schools listed include STM Perkapalan, STM Cendana and SMA PSKD 5.

The list also includes 41 intersections prone to brawling throughout Jakarta, including Tugu Tani in Central Jakarta; Salemba and Matraman in East Jakarta; Pluit and Ancol in North Jakarta; Kuningan and Pancoran in South Jakarta and Daan Mogot, Rawaterate and Jembatan Lima in West Jakarta. (07/05)