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)