Youngsters flock to rave during week of mourning
JAKARTA (JP): At least 5,000 people, most believed to be drug addicts, flocked to Ancol Dreamland yesterday in lieu of their regular discotheques, which were closed in observance of the national week of mourning called to honor the late First Lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto.
Thousands of teenagers and other unruly visitors were dispersed when 50 police officers descended upon cafes and restaurants in the area just after midnight on Tuesday. The officers, led by the head of the North Jakarta police, Maj. Harry Bachtiar Tambunan, arrested 12 people, including six women, and seized six Ecstasy pills, 1,000 barbiturate pills and a few grams of marijuana.
The Jakarta Post was told that most turned up to consume and sell Ecstasy, the current drug of choice here, and to listen to music in a rave-like fashion.
"Ecstasy addicts can't live for more than two days without consuming the drug and dancing in a sea of people to the sound of 'Ecstasy' music," one young woman told the Post at the scene.
The open-air Pondok Jagung area of the Ancol beach was chosen as their gathering site.
The administration has prohibited discos, pubs and other establishments such as massage parlors from operating since Monday.
According to some waiters working at the cafes and restaurants at Pantai Molek, the number of visitors after midnight on Tuesday was more than on the previous day.
The crowd started to flock to the area at 10 p.m. and the number grew to over 5,000 people by 2 a.m.
Dance music
Cafe and restaurant owners accommodated the masses by providing extra seats and turning on dance music.
Similar music was also heard coming from cars parked around the beach, with their owners and friends shaking their heads, hands and bodies to the tunes.
Ecstasy and marijuana dealers operated freely until the police arrived at 2:30 a.m.
Many businesspeople and city officials condemned the partying, saying that those who attended lacked nationalism and patriotism.
Han, a businessman of Chinese origin, told the Post yesterday that it was improper to hold such a party while the nation is observing a week of mourning to honor the first lady, who died last Sunday.
"We're seriously concerned about what they've done while the nation is still in mourning," said City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna.
Head of the city agency in charge of amusement centers, Toha Reno, said that the cafes and restaurants without the licenses necessary to function as discotheques could be closed and fined.
"All business activities have to be operated in accordance with their permits and licenses," Toha said. (bsr/jsk/yns)