‘Bonek’ not welcomed on trains

East Java office of  state-run railway company PT Kereta Api has restricted die-hard fans of Persebaya Surabaya soccer club, locally known as bonek (or 'bondo nekat' which means reckless people), from boarding the trains to reach match venues.

“The restriction is only valid whenever the Persebaya plays in a competition,” East Java office's spokesman Sri Winarto said Wednesday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

A recent evaluation recorded that train transporting people with 'bonek' attributes would mostly become  a single rock-hitting target, while passing a number of cities, such as Solo in Central Java, he added.

Persebaya is scheduled to play against Persik Kediri at Mandala Krida stadium in Yogyakarta, on Thursday.

Bonek has become a household name for violence and hooliganism because the fans, who usually try to watch all of Persebaya’s games, including the ones held far away from Surabaya, have frequently been involved in brutal clashes with supporters of other clubs.