Soccer finals may be out of Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): The chaotic condition caused by the arrival of thousands of soccer hooligans from East Java over the last few days has forced the government to think about the possibility of moving the venue of the National Soccer League finals from Jakarta to other cities.

The government did not rule out moving the venue to prevent hooligans, especially from Surabaya, from causing trouble in the capital, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas said yesterday.

Speaking after meeting President Soeharto at Merdeka Palace, Azwar, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Soccer Association, said efforts should be taken to crack down on hooligans.

Hundreds of hooligans, locally called bonek who come to Jakarta without any money, have been rounded up since Thursday for causing trouble, ranging from extortion to stealing food from local vendors.

"We'll study the problem thoroughly, including the possibility of moving the venue out of Jakarta," he said.

Azwar deplored the hooligans' poor behavior because their actions tarnished the sport's image, and victimized innocent people.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Aritonang said the situation at the final game between Bandung Raya and Persebaya Surabaya at Senayan Stadium yesterday went well and everything was under control.

The situation around the stadium was relatively calm as thousands of Bandung Raya supporters left the stadium as soon as their team was defeated by Persebaya 3-1.

A brawl nearly took place when a Persebaya supporter was surrounded by a group of Bandung Raya fans outside the stadium. However, he managed to escape the crowd.

Some other fans also clashed near Senayan Plaza on Jl. Asia Afrika after the game.

The plaza itself was tightly guarded by dozens of police and military officers and was still open as usual. Entrance gates to the nearby Jakarta Hilton Convention Center were closed for a few minutes after the game was over.

Streets around the stadium were vacant of cars, whose owners intentionally avoided the area for fear of falling victim to possible clashes between fans.

Some small trees and traffic signs along Jl. Asia Afrika in front of Plaza Senayan were torn down by soccer fans.

Soccer fans were seen crowding on Jl. Jend. Sudirman from Jl. Sisingamangaraja to the Semanggi cloverleaf. Public buses, taxis and other motorists drove in the fast lane of the street.

At least ten East Java hooligans were officially named by police as suspects of several robbery and extortion cases and thousands of other hooligans were sent back to Surabaya by land and sea transport.

Aritonang said police deported 2,500 soccer fans as of yesterday.

At least another 11 trucks transported some to Tanjung Priok seaport before the hooligans boarded ships. Four other trucks were on standby to transport others.

Speaking about the tear gas incident, which abruptly interrupted the semifinal match between Bandung Raya and Mitra Surabaya on Friday, National Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo said yesterday that authorities were still investigating the case.

Dibyo said it was not a security officer who fired the tear gas canister at Bandung Raya soccer fans.

"We are still looking for the person who threw the canister, which was stored in a black plastic bag, from the above seat section," he said.

According to earlier reports, witnesses said a security officer fired the canister at Bandung Raya supporters after they tried to enter the field to celebrate a goal 58 minutes into the second half. (06/jun/cst)