Thugs try to rob minister

EVEN ministers are not exempt from being victims of street crime as State Enterprises Minister Tanri Abeng found out recently when he was almost robbed in broad daylight.

Six thugs surrounded his dark blue Volvo sedan at a traffic-light junction in Grogol, West Jakarta, on a Saturday afternoon and threatened to steal the side mirrors of his car – a common occurance in Jakarta today.

They were about to rip out the mirrors from the Volvo when his driver – a police officer – lunged out of the vehicle and caught one of them.

“The other five managed to escape,” said his aide Sofyan Djalil.