Students arrested for hijacking bus and military truck

JAKARTA (JP): Police arrested 350 senior high school students in two separate locations yesterday for hijacking a military truck in Cawang, East Jakarta, and a city bus in Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta.

Both sets of students said they were on their way to a massive brawl in Central Jakarta which, according to the police, never happened.

The military truck was seized by 82 students from technical high school STM PGRI 8 at about 12:30 p.m. on Jl. Achmad Yani near their school in Cawang.

Police seized 23 sharp weapons, including sickles, machetes, iron rulers, an iron belt, a samurai sword and iron sticks from the students, city police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said.

The students forced the truck driver, who was traveling alone, to take them to Central Jakarta, where they were about to start a huge brawl with students from other schools.

"They did not say specifically where in Central Jakarta. As the driver feared for his life, he kept driving as the students ordered.

"But when the truck passed through Cawang near the Indonesian Christian University, a police patrol spotted the students and forced the truck off the road," Aritonang explained.

When questioned at the East Jakarta Police Precinct, the students admitted to preparing themselves with the sharp weapons for the brawl in Central Jakarta.

In a separate incident, 268 students from various high schools in Central Jakarta were detained for hijacking a city bus, plying the Pasar Baru-Kampung Rambutan route, at the Pasar Baru bus shelter in Central Jakarta.

Central Jakarta Police Precinct chief Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna told The Jakarta Post that the students were from various senior high schools, including STM PGRI 11, SMA Budi Oetomo, SMA 1 and STM 11.

"They admitted they were about to start a huge student brawl on Jl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta. A police officer near Pasar Baru spotted the bus full of the yelling students," Iman said.

At about 2 p.m. the students forced the passengers to get off the bus and then beat up the bus driver, Manik, 42, for refusing to drive them to Jl. Kramat Raya.

"But before they got there, police officers spotted them and escorted the bus to the Central Jakarta Police Precinct," Iman said.

The police seized 28 sharp weapons from the students, he said.

"All of the students were detained at the police precinct for questioning," Iman added.

Police data made available to the Post shows that last year, at least 13 students died and 50 were seriously injured in street brawls.

At least 1,550 students were arrested during an estimated 110 brawls last year, according to the data.

Twenty-seven students have been taken to court and another 68 are still being investigated by the police.

The data also shows that most of the students came from technical high schools with at least 55 such schools being recorded on police lists due to their students' involvement in brawls.

Police are now intensifying efforts to improve student discipline.

Hundreds of junior and senior high school students have been invited to join the Pelajar Siaga (Alert Students) program.

The program provides students with information, knowledge and discipline.

"Students who join the program are expected to be able to persuade their friends not to get involved in brawls," said one of the police officers.

But because it is a long-term project, people have to be patient. "We're expecting all parties to support the effort," he added. (edt)