Youth dies from firecracker abuse

JAKARTA (JP): A young man died from breathing difficulties after being admitted on Thursday to the National Police Soekanto Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, following an incident where firecrackers were forced into his mouth and ignited, a relative said.

Heri Ernawan, 19, a resident of Jl. Manggarai in Tebet subdistrict, South Jakarta, was accused of snatching a lady's handbag in the nearby Tebet traditional market on Wednesday evening.

The victim's relative, M. Djaelani, also of Jl. Manggarai, said Heri's friends admitted that he was under the influence of Rohypnol (a tranquilizer) pills.

"His friends said that he failed to take anything from the lady, but a mob ran after him and beat him before they abused him like this," Djaelani told reporters at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital's morgue, while quoting the victim's friends.

Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. Zainuri Lubis said it was difficult for police to investigate cases of such mass attacks.

"When the police arrived at the crime scene, the mob had already gone. Even if we question the residents, nobody will speak up," Zainuri said.

In an unrelated development, an unidentified man was found dead at the side of the 23-kilometer toll road connecting the city center with Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

A medical examination showed that the victim was strangled to death and the back of his head had been fractured by a blunt weapon. The victim had dark skin, short straight hair and was 1.8 meters tall.

He was not wearing any clothes when admitted to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital's morgue early on Thursday. (01)