Reckless firework use mars festive 'takbiran' parades
Reckless firework use mars festive 'takbiran' parades
JAKARTA (JP): Unofficial street parades along the city's major
thoroughfares marking the takbiran prayer celebration on Monday
night were marred by the reckless use of fireworks.
Even though there were no casualties, fireworks set off by
celebrants along major streets, including Jl. Sudirman and Jl.
Thamrin, frightened many people, especially motorists.
Thousands of city residents, mostly youths, flocked to the
streets on Monday night aboard motorcycles, cars and trucks. They
beat traditional drums and chanted praises to Allah to mark the
end of the Ramadhan fasting month.
Medan Merdeka square in Central Jakarta was lined with a
convoy of pickup trucks of all sizes, crammed with people beating
drums, blowing trumpets and lighting fireworks by 9 p.m.
The celebrants, mostly from Greater Jakarta, Serang and Depok,
danced in the road and filled the air with colorful and loud
fireworks.
Some youths, however, lit fireworks and indiscriminately threw
them into the streets, regardless of whether or not their acts
would endanger other people.
Because of the "fireworks war", most motorists chose to close
all the windows of their cars, while motorcyclists pulled off to
the side of the road to allow convoys of trucks to pass.
A similar scene was found in the Manggarai area of South
Jakarta, where fireworks thrown into the street stopped all
passing vehicles along Jl. Tambak.
"It was fortunate that the car did not explode," said a
pedestrian when fireworks exploded directly beneath a vehicle
stopped on the street.
Both Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman and
city military commander Maj. Gen. Djadja Suparman deplored the
reckless use of fireworks.
"The use of fireworks should not have happened," Noegroho was
quoted by Antara as saying.
Despite the use of fireworks, however, the takbiran parades
were generally under control, he said.
"The takbiran parades were joyful and a larger number of
people joined them as compared to last year," he said.
Noegroho stated that between 7 p.m. and midnight the police
recorded 10 incidents, including five traffic accidents, stones
being thrown at a house, a fire, torture and theft.
"Up to 2 a.m. on Tuesday, the situation was under control and
not a single arrest was made during the night," he said.
Some people riding in trucks waved huge Indonesian flags, the
green flags of the United Development Party and flags from other
political parties.
Commenting on the many people waving the flags of political
parties as if they were campaigning, Djadja explained that people
did not start the night with the flags, but picked them up during
the course of their celebrations.
"They just took flags placed along the streets," he said.
Meanwhile, residents of Manggarai, infamous for their
involvement in brawls which have caused several deaths, carried
out an informal bedug (drum) competition on Jl. Tambak.
On both sides of the street, several children beat on huge,
colorful bedugs that were placed along the street.
In North Jakarta, a parade of pickup trucks and street vendors
jammed the entrance road leading to Ancol Dreamland, and people
were seen dancing in nearby streets.
However, roads in Tubagus Angke were extremely quiet, with
only few pickup trucks passing along them.
A convoy of pickup trucks also lined the Grogol area of West
Jakarta, while several street vendors and beggars were seen
resting under the flyovers, particularly the Tomang flyover.
Meanwhile, by 11:40 p.m., trucks clogged the roads leading
from Jl. Medan Merdeka to the Istiqlal Mosque, and street boys,
acting as unofficial traffic police, were desperately trying to
handle the situation.
The same situation was seen in the areas around Suropati Park
in Central Jakarta where traffic began to back up by 10 p.m.
Officers were seen in the park drinking and eating food bought
from nearby street vendors. (ylt/hhr)