Three unwanted babies killed every month: Forensic team

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

At least three newborn babies are killed here each month, according to a forensic team from the University of Indonesia, which compiled data from files in the morgue of state-run Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Central Jakarta.

The forensic team conducted the post-mortem examination on 38 babies who were victims of murder between the month of January and Dec. 22 last year. In 2001, the number of victims was 35.

"Most of them died of strangulation," Bambang H.P., a member of the forensic team, told The Jakarta Post.

The unwanted babies, split evenly among gender between female and male, were apparently born out of wedlock and were killed by their biological mothers.

In several cases, it was reported that the bodies were found by pedestrians on the side of a road or in a garbage dump.

The 38 babies were among 519 homicide cases handled by the forensic team this year, compared to last year's figure of 792.

The homicide victims were killed by various methods ranging from strangulation to gun shot. However, the forensic team was unable to identify the cause of death of 14 victims, due to the state of decomposition of the bodies.

There has been a sharp reduction this year of homicides committed by use of firearms: from 256 cases in 2001 to 97 last year.

Many people believe the city police's round-the-clock patrol and plainclothes detectives deployed throughout crime-infested areas in the city, as well as its toll-free 112 emergency number have contributed to the reduction in crime.

Nevertheless, the forensic team's data, being incomplete, was unable to identify how many victims had been killed by the police in their campaign to reduce street crimes, which was intensified in 2001.

In 2001, during the city police operation, code-name Brantas Jaya, 12 suspects were shot dead within a three-month period. Police officers argued that they were forced to shoot the suspects because the latter had resisted arrest after being caught red-handed.

In some cases, the criminals were only shot in the thigh, but the police arrived late at the hospital and the suspects died of severe blood loss.

Meanwhile, the toll of suicide cases rose from 79 in 2001 to 82 last year.

Among the suicide cases, 61 hanged themselves, 12 took insecticides, one slit the wrists, another one jumped to death, while one committed suicide by self-immolation. The methods used by the remaining six cases are unknown, due to the state of decomposition of their bodies.

The number of people killed in traffic accidents last year reached 572, while the number of those killed in railway accidents -- including falling out or off of a moving train, and being electrocuted or struck by a train while crossing the railway -- numbered 160.

Other accidents, such as work-related accidents, drownings, burns, electrocutions and falls from buildings, caused the deaths of 240 people. The number was a slight increase compared to 2001's figure of 231.

Another 80 people died of poisoning or drug overdoses. The forensic team also identified six other cases of which the cause of death remained a mystery due to advanced decomposition, in which only the bones or a few body parts remained.