Students ask police to crack down on gambling

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of students staged a protest in front of city police headquarters here on Monday demanding that the police act firmly against gambling dens in the capital.

The protesters, grouped in the Students and Youth Alliance for Legal Supremacy (AMPUSH) said the police knew about gambling dens in the capital, like the biggest one on Jl. Kunir in North Jakarta, but that they took no action as they were (allegedly) receiving kickbacks from the gambling operators.

"As the police are keeping quiet about gambling crimes, we suspect that they are in cahoots with the gambling operators," the coordinator of the protesting group, Rahmat, said.

The group also demanded that the police sanction officers who were believed to be protecting the gambling dens.

In a related development, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb said that 98 people were arrested for gambling crimes during a two-day operation in the capital.

Sofjan said the suspects were arrested at nine separate locations but gave no details.

The two-star general was tightlipped when asked whether the suspects were minor gambling operators, like the sellers of toto coupons, or gambling den owners. (emf)