Stories about people dying from tainted alcohol are not uncommon in Indonesia, but it usually takes place in Bali or remote areas of the country – it rarely happens Jakarta. But even alcohol consumers in the capital are not always safe, as proven by two sailors who recently lost their lives in the capital due to bad drink.
The two young men from Mandao, Max David Jakobus, age 19, and Kristomus Stephen Tatuil, age 29, died after drinking adulterated alcohol in the Sing Kanaung sailors’ mess located in Cilincing.
David died on Sunday 5:15 pm at Rumah Sakit Pelabuhan Jakarta. Kristomus died yesterday at 4 am in the same hospital.
According to a friend of the victims, Heni Setiawati, whose home is not far from the mess, the two young men from Manado, North Sulawesi, were binge drinking with four of their colleagues on Friday.
“Guys in the mess like to drink alcohol, but not often, only on weekends. And they don’t cause mischief in the neighborhood,” said Heni on Monday, as quoted by BeritaSatu.
According to Heni, men would buy alcohol from a shop not far from the mess. “The alcohol was sold in plastic bags, not in bottles. Usually it’s safe. We don’t know why after they finished drinking, they were poisoned. The doctor said the poison from the adulterants had reached their lungs,” Heni said.
Kristomus’s relative, Stevie Watulangkaw, said Kristomus came from a family of sailors. His father, who is mixed Dutch and Manadonese, is also a sailor, as is his brother. “Kristomus followed in his fathers footsteps and leave behind a wife and child in Manado,” said Stevie.
