Student brawls related to family, school: Sutiyoso

JAKARTA (JP): City Military chief of staff Brig. Gen. Sutiyoso asked the public yesterday not to stigmatize all high school students because of the growing trend toward student brawls.

"Don't always see students as bad," Sutiyoso said after installing Lt. Col. Yayat Hidayat as the new chief of Bekasi Military District yesterday. The colonel replaces Lt. Col. Gunarso Ismail, who will be promoted to assistant to the City Military chief.

Student brawls, according to Sutiyoso, are not entirely the students' problem, but are closely related to other societal factors, including family and school.

Sutiyoso asked all parties to look for a joint solution to the student brawls and juvenile delinquency. "Let's jointly discuss the student brawls to find their major cause and the best solution," he said, adding that the problem should be settled by all parties through various approaches.

He believed that most of the students are generally good and want to succeed in their studies but are often prodded to fight by their friends.

Sutiyoso said the city military keeps a watching on "the small number of students who tend to provoke the others to fight".

The city military tries to prevent student brawls through its national discipline campaign, which was introduced nationwide in May, he said. More than 1,000 Jakartan high school students have been indoctrinated as pioneers in the military's discipline campaign.

He acknowledged that the number of crimes committed by Jakarta's students, including brawls, torture, robbery and vandalism, has increased.

According to city police data, in the first six months of this year alone, 123 cases of security disturbances were recorded in Jakarta. By comparison, 183 cases were registered in 1994 and only 80 cases in 1993.

Over 1,500 students have been arrested for being involved in disturbances this year. Some 200 were jailed and another 66 are still awaiting trial. Students damaged 172 buses and five school buildings this year.

There are 350,000 senior high school students in Jakarta, according to the data.

The police have earmarked 35 senior high schools as being trouble spots. Among the schools, four are in North Jakarta, six in West Jakarta, seven in South Jakarta, seven in Central Jakarta, four in East Jakarta, four in Depok, two in Tangerang, and one in Bekasi.

Lt. Col. Yayat Hidayat, 45, the new chief of Bekasi Military District, graduated from the Military Academy in 1974. He was previously the commander of the Field Artillery Battalion in Bekasi.

Hidayat had been assigned to the Palembang-based Field Artillery Battalion before moving to the Armed Forces headquarters and the Army School of Command. (29)