Student brawls related to family, school: Sutiyoso

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)