February 11, 2008

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian commuters riding on the roofs of trains will be sprayed with colored liquid so that security officers can identify and arrest them, a report said Saturday.

Electric trains linking the Indonesian capital and its neighboring towns are packed with passengers during rush hours, with many sitting on the roofs due to a lack of space inside or to avoid paying.

After several failed attempts to discourage roof riders over years, the state owned railway company PT Kereta Api will from next week douse them with a colored liquid so that officers can identify them when they get off the train, the Jakarta Post said.

"We will confiscate their IDs and give them a ticket," Kereta Api regional spokesman Akhmad Sujadi was quoted as saying.

"We will send a copy of the ticket to their family, their local neighborhood unit head, their employer, or, if they're students, their headmasters," added Sujadi, who described the move as "unique."

Although illegal, roof riding is rampant due to a lack of efficient and affordable means of transport for commuters in the greater Jakarta area. At least 53 roof riders have been killed in the past two years, the Post said.

(Reporting by Ahmad Pathoni, Editing by Alex Richardson)

© Reuters 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Editor's Note: Is the paint a festive red this week for Valentine's Day?