Measures to Stop Indonesian Train Surfers Criticised

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian rights groups said Wednesday that a decision by the state-run rail operator to hang concrete balls above tracks to deter train surfers “risked lives” and discriminated against the poor. PT Kereta Api on Tuesday began installing around 20 two-kilogram (4.4-pound) balls by fixing them with chains at a crossing in Bekasi in eastern Jakarta. “This shortcut measure shows the laziness of the bureaucracy and puts many lives at risk,” said Ifdhal Kasim of the National Commission of Human Rights. “Authorities should adopt tough but safe measures like stopping the train from leaving the station if anyone insists on staying on the roof. “I’m certain other passengers will protest if the train refuses to move and the violators will eventually be forced to come down,” he added. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country with about 240 million inhabitants, does not have an effective public transportation system. Many in Jakarta, the capital of nearly 10 million people with streets snarled in traffic, use overcrowded trains and buses to commute to work. “The root problem is limited access to public transportation. People have no choice but to sit on train roofs because there’s no space available inside the cabins,” Rafendi Djamin, head of the Human Rights Working Group, told AFP. “Some people are too poor to afford a ticket. The latest measure compromises public security and discriminates against the poor,” he said. But the train operator defended the latest scheme, saying it was exasperated after all other measures it tried had failed to deter “atapers”, meaning “roofers” in Indonesian slang. “I know it’s dangerous but there’s no other choice. When the train is crowded it’s impossible to squeeze inside,” said 23-year-old Ahmad Fauzi, admitting to riding the roof most mornings to get to work as a house cleaner in the capital from his home on the outskirts of Jakarta. “I don’t know if I will be riding the roofs with the new measures. It depends on whether they will install the balls on the route that I ride,” he added. Past deterrents to stop train surfers have included spraying paint on roof-riders, installing flexible poles that deliver a painful whack and stationing dogs on train tops. “I hope with this method, the passengers will no longer sit on the train roof,” said company spokesman Mateta Rizalulhaq. “At least one passenger is killed every day from falling from the train roof or accidentally electrocuted,” he added. Fariz Darmawan, another regular train surfer, said there were tricks to riding on the roofs without getting hurt. “When the train passes certain spots you have to lie flat so to avoid being electrocuted by the high-voltage power lines,”he said. “You also have to stay still and not move too much, to avoid slipping off,” he added. “I might still ride the roofs, even with the new measures. I have to wait and see how dangerous it is,” said the 20-year-old office messenger.