Thuggery: between love and hate
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
This is the third article on thuggery, which the Jakarta administration, police and military have vowed to eradicate in the city.
For many, thugs, who make people feel unsafe when moving around the city or being alone in public places at night, are a nuisance and a threat to their safety.
Street vendors prefer to give them money, just to avoid problems that may occur if the thugs walk away empty-handed.
For some people, however, hiring a group of thugs may be a quick way to settle problems, whether they be land disputes, debts, or personal vendettas -- you name it, they are ready to oblige for a fee.
"If you face problems, any kind of problems, please call me. I will come to help," Rico, not his real name, a former military deserter, told The Jakarta Post.
Rico is best-known for his skill in rigging bombs and using firearms and can deploy at least 50 people to carry out a required task.
"I am handling a case at the South Jakarta District Court. My boss wants to win the case," he said.
Rico, along with his group, is not the only group in the city whose personnel are ready for deployment anytime for any mission.
"Most of them come from out of town and reside in rented houses across the capital ... They belong to different ethnic groups, but they can easily team up for a mission when you have money," said a source familiar with the groups.
Another source who befriended several thugs residing in East Jakarta said that his friends received various orders, ranging from occupying disputed land; safeguarding big bosses; collecting debts; or ensuring the safety of their "clients" who are standing trial.
"A junior group member usually receives Rp 50,000 a day. The more senior the member the higher the payment they will receive," he said.
One of the cases involving hired thugs came under the media spotlight on Feb. 19 when a group of 20 gang members associated with gang leader Hercules guarding 1.2 hectares of disputed land on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta clashed with officers from the Jakarta Public Order Agency. One of the gang members, John Albert, was shot dead at close range by Krisman Siregar, the head of the operation division of the agency.
The bloody incident inspired fear among public order officers of a retaliatory attack by the gang for nearly a week.
Another deadly clash also took place in June at Taman Permata Buana housing complex in Kembangan, West Jakarta when almost one hundred people from several gangs hired by two warring parties, were caught in brawl, forcing residents to flee their homes.
The string of violent clashes between gang members repeatedly occurred when the South Jakarta District Court held trials over the brutal murder of gang leader Basri Sangaji at Kebayoran Inn in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta on Oct. 12 last year by five people associated with the capital's most notorious gang leader John Key.
Some residents also pointed out that leading Betawi figure, Abraham Lunggana, 35, otherwise known as Haji Lulung, made his name after taking over control of Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta from Hercules in 2000, though, he was not happy with being called a gang leader.
"I prefer to call my 12,000 strong group as a group which supports businesspeople to help create a conducive business climate," he told The Post.
"We are building an active synergy between leading figures in the community and those who own the capital to create job opportunities for people in the community, especially those who are unskilled and unemployed," he added.
He asserted that businesspeople could enjoy security when local people who really benefit from the presence of the business in the community take active part in securing the business interests.