We’ve argued that Jakarta doesn’t deserve it’s reputation as an unsafe city, but, to be fair, we’ve also written quite a few stories about violent crime in the capital as well, often involving young people and weapons.
Take for example, this story about a group of students in Jatinegara who tried to hijack a Metromini with sickles and knives so they could go to fight a rival gang.
Brawling between students is a big problem in Jakarta and it can sometimes have deadly consequences because they fight with weapons that would be impossible for children to buy in most other countries.
So it raises the question – how can kids in Jakarta get their hands on such deadly toys?
The answer is – very easily.
Our buddies at QUB TV, as part of their “Off Culture” series, talked to Andre, a weapons dealer at a local mall, who proudly showed off his dangerous products including tasers, batons with knives hidden inside, knives with lighters hidden inside and even a gun (that shoots rubber bullets).
Andre casually extolls the virtues of each of his weapons, but the scariest thing he says in the video is that his customers are “mostly junior high and high school students.” Yikes.
For more cool videos about Jakarta’s most interesting characters – including musicians, artists, chefs and more – check out QUB TV’s website or Youtube channel.
