Fish traders complain of illegal levies<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Some 200 traders at the Muara Baru fish market
\nin North Jakarta staged a protest at City Hall on Wednesday,
\ndemanding the revocation of a gubernatorial decree on fees for
\nfish traders and calling for an end to the rampant charging of
\nillegal levies in the area.<\/p>\n
Representatives of the traders were received separately by the
\ncity council's Commission B on economic affairs and Commission C
\non financial affairs.<\/p>\n
\"Gubernatorial Decree No. 192\/2000 on Fees in the Fisheries
\nSector, which grants a cooperative under the State Ministry for
\nCooperatives the authority to charge fees from the traders, must
\nbe revoked.<\/p>\n
\"They (officials from the cooperative) take Rp 3,000 (37 US
\ncents) from us daily based upon three kinds of fees, namely
\nsanitary, security and rental fees,\" Marsono, one of the traders,
\ntold the councillors.<\/p>\n
Another representative, Slamet, said that the traders
\nquestioned the necessity of imposing a two-percent surcharge on
\nfish coming in from other regions.<\/p>\n
\"They (fish traders from other regions) claim that they
\nalready have to pay a five-percent charge in their respective
\nareas before selling the fish in Jakarta,\" Slamet said.<\/p>\n
Marsono stated that the traders' obligation to pay the fees
\nwas not matched by the provision of adequate security by the
\nmarket's security guards.<\/p>\n
\"Despite paying a fee for security, the security officers are
\nincapable of protecting us from local hoodlums,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that there were at least 10 groups of hoodlums
\noperating in the area with each group consisting of approximately
\n50 members.<\/p>\n
Slamet said that the traders had written to Jakarta Police
\nHeadquarters and to the North Jakarta Police Precinct asking for
\nbetter security and protection in the fish market through the
\nupgrading of the existing Muara Baru police post to a police
\nsubprecinct.<\/p>\n
\"Muara Baru is a crime-ridden area. We believe that the
\nexisting police post is inadequate to ensure the proper handling
\nof security problems,\" he said, while adding that the traders
\nwere always the victims. (lup)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fish-traders-complain-of-illegal-levies-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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