Cut to the Chase

Cracking down on thugs without providing them jobs is a pointless effort.

April 24, 2001

Once again, preman—the local term for hoodlums—in Jakarta are being hunted, captured and detained. That's what's being going on for the past few days. The reported Rp24-billion project is aimed at capturing 1,312 preman—a highly impressive figure, although how they came up with it is anyone's guess. But hang on a minute, that means netting just one thug alone costs Rp18 million. What does Governor Sutiyoso expect from this mass...

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