T

he Jakarta Police have warned the public over a potential increase in brawls involving youth during the fasting month, which is expected to start around the middle of June.

'€œDuring the fasting month, brawling is likely to increase because youths usually hang out after having pre-dawn meals and clashes can happen while they are gathering,'€ City Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Muhammad Iqbal said on Monday.

Iqbal said the police had mapped out critical locations for brawls in the capital with an aim to tighten security during the fasting month.

'€œThe critical points are Kali Baru and Cilincing in North Jakarta, Menteng Tenggulun in Central Jakarta, Manggarai, Pasar Rumput and Tebet in South Jakarta, Tambora in West Jakarta, and Pasar Rebo and Cawang in East Jakarta,'€ he said.

The warning came following a brawl between two youth gangs that killed two young men on Jl. KH Moch. Mansyur in Tambora district at dawn on Sunday.

Tambora Police head Comr. Wirdhanto Hadicaksono said that the victims, Roni Gunawan, 20, and Alamsyah, 17, died of injuries from sharp instruments.

'€œRoni was stabbed in his right abdomen and Alamsyah in his waist. The victims were rushed to Husada Hospital in Central Jakarta where they died. They were then taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for autopsies,'€ Wirdhanto said on Monday.

The police have thus far questioned eight witnesses and are still investigating the case to nab the alleged murderers.

The incident, according to Wirdhanto, happened at 4:30 a.m. when the two gangs were hanging out near a community post and started mocking each other, resulting in a brawl. A large number of stones and pieces of glass were found at the location.

'€œThe two gangs don'€™t belong to the area. They called themselves Cebokan from Tanah Sareal in Taman Sari district, West Jakarta, and All Star from Tanah Pasir in Penjaringan district, North Jakarta,'€ he said.

Wirdhanto went on to say that the victims, residents of Jl. Kesederhanaan, Taman Sari, were involved in the fight before trying to escape, but to no avail.

According to the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA), youth brawls are also likely to increase after the end of the national exams and before the start of the new academic year, because students have fewer activities during the break. All schools have now completed their national exams and will start new classes in July.

Komnas PA chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait told The Jakarta Post that last year, the commission recorded 139 youth brawls in Greater Jakarta. The January-April period of this year saw 21 brawls.

Arist suggested that to reduce youth brawling, the government should expand public and green spaces as well as offer more activities for youths to channel their energy.

Youth, he said, needed to channel their energy into art, sports and hobbies in public spaces.

'€œA lack of spaces and activities encourages youths to join purposeless gatherings, making it easy for them to get offended and to prove their '€˜heroic'€™ actions,'€ he said.

Iqbal added that the police would maximize security by deploying more personnel and optimizing the role of Houses of Three Pillars.

A House of Three Pillars is an office involving Babinkamtibnas (a police officer assigned to a village or subdistrict as an advisor on security and public order), Babinsa (a village supervisory non-commissioned officer) and a subdistrict head.

'€œHouses of Three Pillars, first launched recently in West Jakarta and Tangerang City, have now been established in all subdistricts in Jakarta,'€ he said. (rbk)