Raid on beggars turns ugly

Raid on beggars turns ugly

JAKARTA: A raid on beggars at the Istiqlal Mosque in Sawah
Besar district, Central Jakarta, late on Tuesday turned ugly when
dozens of people inside the mosque chased the officers away,
hurling plastic bottles and chairs at them.

Seeing the public order officers approaching the mosque at
about 11:30 p.m., many of the beggars -- whose numbers soar
during Ramadhan -- ran inside the mosque.

This interrupted a Koran reading, the participants of which
thought the officers had come to check their identity cards. The
participants put down their Korans and gave chase to the
officers, including Sawah Besar Regent Suprihatin, who was
leading the raid.

The raid also involved the police and the military.

"We tried to calm them and tell them why we were there, but it
was to no avail. They kept on attacking us. Maybe they were angry
because the officers entered the mosque and caught one of the
beggars who was pretending to pray," Suprihatin said. -- JP