Soldier stabbed to death by hoodlums in East Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): A soldier was stabbed to death Tuesday allegedly by a group of hoodlums at the Center for the Promotion of Small- scale Industry in Penggilingan, East Jakarta, police said yesterday.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang identified the victim as First Corporal Jainun, alias Buyung, 45, who served at the Center for the Rehabilitation of Handicaps at the Ministry of Defense and Security.

Jainun died Tuesday night with 35 stab wounds, he said.

He said that the preliminary investigation found that Jainun and his attackers had been involved in a rough competition over the parking lot business at the center's market.

"Police are now looking for around five men suspected as being Jainun's killers. They have all been identified," Aritonang said.

Some people at the crime scene told reporters that the victim was surrounded and stabbed by the suspects in the parking lot.

A security guard said many people who were shopping at the market Tuesday afternoon did not notice the incident, even though it took place in the middle of a crowd.

"It's hard to believe that six people were actually involved in an imbalanced fight in the middle of a crowd," said the man who asked for anonymity.

He said that Jainun planned to recruit some new parking attendants to secure the disputed parking lot.

"But the suspects were against his plan because they didn't like other people to take over their business. The suspects had controlled the parking business there earlier," he said.

He also said that Jainun was apparently not aware that the suspects were very angry with him.

"Jainun must have never thought that the suspects had planned to attack him that day," he said.

He said Jainun was known in the area for his friendliness.

The market was closed yesterday due to the police investigation on the case.

Jainun served in East Timor in the 1970s where he was wounded in the eye.

His body was taken by his relatives from the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital's morgue yesterday.

Soldier wounded

In another case involving an Army serviceman, police have been looking for several people for their alleged involvement in an attack on a soldier in the Pasar Minggu area of South Jakarta.

Police said the soldier, identified only as First Private DS, 27, was severely beaten by several men, following an argument between them.

Preliminary investigation has found that the suspects of the assault had been angry with DS because the soldier had allegedly beaten a woman identified as Arita.

DS reportedly met Arita Tuesday night. They were involved in an argument for unknown reasons which ended up in the alleged beating of Arita.

Early Wednesday, DS was attacked by several men when he was in the Pasar Minggu market.

It was still unclear whether DS had actually beaten the woman. It was also unclear whether she reported the beating to the men and asked them to punish DS, police said.

DS was treated at a hospital in Pondok Kopi for the injuries he sustained. (cst)