Students and bystanders were injured in vicious acid attacks in Indonesia's capital this month [AFP]
'Tawuran' - a tradition of student brawling - has become increasingly violent with the use of acid.
Jakarta, Indonesia - As Ridwan Nur stepped through the side-door of the crowded state bus, Tyo al-Farabi knew there would be trouble.
Tyo had never met Ridwan, known locally as Tompel. But stuck in east Jakarta's crawling Friday morning traffic he had seen him by the roadside gathering with students from a rival high school - a sign, in his experience, that an attack was imminent.
Tompel carried with him nothing more offensive than a clear liquid in an open drink bottle. As he boarded the bus he launched the solution at Tyo's face.
Fortunately, Tyo's instinct was to turn away. "Suddenly I felt a burning on my neck and shoulders, extremely hot. And then there was just screaming," the 15-year-old said.
Brawling tradition
Tawuran, the culture of student brawling, is nothing new to Indonesia. High school students have gathered before and after class to hack and beat each other, often fatally, since the early 1990s. Public buses containing students from rival schools are often attacked, with innocent bystanders regularly becoming entangled in the violence.
Spiked bats and machetes are common weapons of choice, but the use of acidic solution - in three reported high school incidents since the start of October - is a disturbing development.
Four students from Muhammidiyah Technical College (SMK), central Jakarta, sustained neck burns after being attacked by 10 students on motorcycles with an acid solution on October 11.
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