Three students die in latest street brawls

JAKARTA (JP): Three students died during street brawls in Central and North Jakarta on Tuesday, increasing this year's death toll to 13.

One of the three students died after suffering a skull fracture and stab wounds while the other two teenagers were hit by a bus with rival students on board.

Police identified the first victim as Syamsul Anwar, 17, from STM Budi Utomo, a technical high school in Central Jakarta.

The other two were identified as Purwanto, 17, and Setiawan, 18 but police refused to release the name of their school.

The three teenagers were the first victims of student brawls this month.

Police believe that the brawl which claimed the life of Syamsul -- and the two students killed in a separate fracas -- was premeditated.

Rival students from STM Bahariwan, another technical high school, had laid in wait for students from Syamsul's school some hours before the 3 p.m. brawl Tuesday.

City Police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang said yesterday that STM Bahariwan students, who flocked to Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan in North Jakarta, allegedly hid their weapons inside their uniforms and bags.

"Police have confiscated some knifes, sickles, steel bars and bricks which were found on the street after they were discarded by students during the brawl," he said.

Aritonang said the brutal clash started after dozens of STM Budi Utomo students jumped out of a PPD bus which had come from the direction of Cempaka Putih.

"Witnesses said Syamsul fell into a ditch after a rival student hit him on the head with a brick or piece of wood," he said. "Other students than stabbed Syamsul when he tried to get up."

None of Syamsul's friends had dared to help him because many of them were already wounded, Aritonang said.

"Syamsul was left bleeding in the ditch when his friends ran away from their opponents because they were outnumbered."

Syamsul died in the emergency room of the Islamic Hospital in Cempaka Putih shortly after police brought him to the hospital, he said.

North Jakarta Police had questioned some of the students who witnessed the brawl.

"No one has been detained so far," he said. "But the police will soon find the perpetrators."

The other two students, Purwadi and Setiawan, died in hospital on Tuesday after being hit by a Mayasari Bakti city bus in the Gambir area, Central Jakarta.

Aritonang said the two teenagers and their schoolmates had attempted to stop the bus, with students from another school on board, by standing in the middle of the street.

"The driver might have known that he would hit the students if he continued driving," he said. "But, he also might have thought that the students would move out of the way if he did not stop.

"Maybe he chose to follow the second idea. As he approached the students they quickly jumped out of the way but Purwadi and Setiawan were left behind and got hit by the bus."

The driver kept the bus in motion for a while before jumping out of the vehicle and running away, he said. The police were still searching for the driver.

"We know that he (kept the bus moving) in a bid to save both the bus and its passengers," Aritonang said.

"He, or at least the bus, may have been attacked in the clash if it had eventuated. But, he still has to be responsible because his actions claimed two lives."

He said that Permadi, Setiawan and their friends had tried to stop the bus because they were certain their enemies had boarded the bus.

Late last month, 17-year-old Abdul Rahman, a student of the STM Hatawana technical high school, was also killed in a hit-and- run accident when he tried to avoid a potential student brawl on Jl. Raya Bekasi in East Jakarta.

Abdul Rahman jumped out of a bus when he noticed that dozens of students from STM Bonser had blockaded the street. Almost as soon as he touched the road, he was hit by another bus. He was the 10th student to die in street brawls. (cst)