Taxi passenger assaulted

On Tuesday afternoon, June 6, 1995, at approximately 2.30 p.m., a colleague and I hailed a President taxi on Jl. Pecenongan in Central Jakarta. Our destination was Jl. Lautze near Pasar Baru. After we began our journey I noticed the meter was not yet started and politely reminded the driver to switch it on. He responded by asking us for Rp 5000 and refused to use the meter. Perhaps the fact that my friend and I are expats gave the driver an incentive to try to cheat us.

Well, we politely restated that we expected him to use the meter, as required by law. After he again refused, we requested he take us to the nearest police station to resolve the matter. He agreed, and as we drove towards Jl. Hayam Wuruk the driver, realizing he would gain nothing by going to the police, stopped the taxi and ordered us to get out.

We again told him our destination, whereupon the driver produced a tire iron from underneath his seat and, to our utter disbelief, smashed my friend's left knee. The driver then got out, opened my friend's door, pulled him out and began to assault him with his fists. Why? All because we had asked the driver to use his meter.

Now hurt and badly shaken, my friend broke away from the violent, vulgar man only to have the driver strike my friend on the side of the head with the tire iron, producing torrents of blood. A nearby policeman and satpam (security guard) were able to assist us and detain the man, and we all eventually went to Polda Metro Jaya (Jakarta Police office) where statements were taken by the police. He is currently in jail, but I wonder: Will this taxi driver once again be free to bully, terrorize and assault other hapless passengers because they request the use of the meter in his vehicle as required by law?

JOHN DI STEFANO

Jakarta