T

he Sleman Police in Yogyakarta reported on Saturday that 17 people, most of them university students, had died after consuming oplosan (bootleg liquor) at separate venues in the province earlier this month.

Sleman Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yulianto said each of the victims had died between Thursday and Saturday despite receiving intensive medical treatment at local hospitals.

'€œThe victims were rushed to the hospitals after they suffered from severe pains from consuming oplosan in several places in Sleman, Bantul regency and the Yogyakarta municipality,'€ he said.

Yulianto said that, as of Saturday, 15 other people were still under intensive treatment at Bethesda Hospital, Dr Sardjito Hospital and Syarif Hidayatullah Hospital, for consuming a similar type of liquor, which allegedly contained a mixture of 96 percent alcohol, water, sweetener and fruit flavoring.

'€œWe have sent the sample of the oplosan to the Central Java Police'€™s forensic laboratory in Semarang. They will confirm the substances used to make the liquor,'€ he said.

In response to the incident, Yulianto said the Sleman Police had so far arrested S, an oplosan maker and vendor from Sleman, who allegedly produced the oplosan.

Further investigation, he added, would determine whether the victims had died because of certain substances in the oplosan or from other possible causes, including excessive drinking.

'€œDuring interrogation, S claimed that he regularly drank his own oplosan and never had any medical issues. He also claimed that none of his regular costumers died due to his product,'€ Yulianto said.

Although the police have revealed the identity of the victims, they have not provided any details on where these victims studied or worked.

The majority of victims are between 19 and 28 years old.

Separately, a morgue worker at Dr Sardjito Hospital said that two of the victims who had died on Saturday
at Yogyakarta'€™s biggest hospital were students from Papua and West Kalimantan.

Oplosan has gained popularity in Indonesia as it is much cheaper than any branded liquor product. A bottle of oplosan, which contains 300 milliliters of liquor, for example, is sold for between Rp 15,000 (US$1) and Rp 20,000 in Yogyakarta.

An oplosan maker usually runs his or her operation at a small-scale level, allowing only regular customers to have access to the product. The police have claimed that this secluded, customer-based operation made it difficult for them to crack down on the entire distribution of the illegal product.

Dr Sardjito Hospital spokesperson Trisno Heru Nugroho said oplosan was dangerous for the body.

'€œJust like poison, oplosan will make human organs, like kidneys and liver, become dysfunctional,'€ he said.

Hundreds of people die every year across the archipelago due to oplosan consumption.

The West Java Police, for example, revealed that more than 80 people had died throughout 2015 after consuming oplosan. Most of the victims were under the age of 20.

The highest number of victims, 12, died in Garut regency in September last year. Each were found to have consumed a mixture of energy supplement drink and bootleg liquor, reported to have been 70
percent pure, a purity level generally reserved for antiseptic purposes.

Another deadly incident occurred on Dec. 20 in Jatinangor district, Sumedang regency, in which seven people died following a drinking spree at an ojek (motorcycle taxi) shelter. The victims died despite having received emergency hospital treatment.

Last year, all 10 party factions at the House of Representatives agreed to continue deliberating on the alcohol prohibition bill. Lawmakers who support the bill have argued the country requires a stronger legal standing in order to control the production and consumption of illicit alcohol.
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