Glodok are shakes off the gloom once again<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Business activities at Harco Glodok electronics
\ncenter in West Jakarta stated to show signs of life on Tuesday
\namid fears of further rioting in the predominantly ethnic-Chinese
\nbusiness district.<\/p>\n
Several stores opened their doors to customers under the
\nwatchful eyes of dozens of uniformed police officers, while
\nothers whose stores were burned or vandalized by mobs during
\nrioting on Saturday were still busy cleaning up the mess.<\/p>\n
While the roadside next to the building remained vacant since
\nthe rioting, the curb on the opposite side of the road was
\noccupied with at least four street vendors selling pirated VCDs.<\/p>\n
The police, deployed to maintain security at the electronics
\ncenter, made no attempt to shut down the vendors, who were just
\nfew steps away from them.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta administration announced on Monday it would no
\nlonger tolerate the sale of pirated VCDs in the vicinity of Harco
\nGlodok.<\/p>\n
"If I don't run the business, how am I going to earn money?"
\nsaid Roni, one of the VCD traders.<\/p>\n
Like other vendors, Roni said he did not fear the possibility
\nof further police raids against pirated VCDs and their vendors.<\/p>\n
"Look, there are many police officers around here and they do
\nnothing," he said, pointing to the police officers.<\/p>\n
Roni said he did not open his business last Saturday because
\nhe had heard there would be a police raid in the area on that
\nday.<\/p>\n
"I heard a rumor about it, so I decided not to trade on that
\nday," he said.<\/p>\n
The early-morning raid by officers of the National Police
\nHeadquarters caused a riot on Saturday, leaving dozens of stores
\nin Glodok and the nearby area burned and vandalized by the angry
\ntraders, who were accompanied by groups of youths.<\/p>\n
The raid by the National Police officers has been criticized
\nby many people, including House of Representatives Speaker Akbar
\nTandjung, particularly since it was conducted on May 13, the
\nsecond anniversary of the bloody riots, burning and looting in
\nthe capital.<\/p>\n
On Monday, an executive of the Indonesian Tape Recording
\nCompanies (Asiri) insisted that members of the association do not
\npay the police vast sums to raid the increasing number of traders
\nof pirated VCDs on the capital's streets.<\/p>\n
"Why should we pay? It's the police's job to investigate and
\nconduct raids," Bimo Suryono of Asiri told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
"But we prepare, for instance, breakfast or lunch for the
\npolice. But we do nothing beyond that," Bimo said after a meeting
\nwith Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Nurfaizi.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, Bimo was accompanied by executives of
\nother related associations, such as the Association of Indonesian
\nSongwriters and Music Arrangers (Pappri) and People Against
\nCopyrights Piracy and Pornography (Mappi).<\/p>\n
The music organizations' executives met Nurfaizi to personally
\nthank him for trying to put a stop to the sale of pirated VCDs in
\nthe capital. (09\/ylt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/glodok-are-shakes-off-the-gloom-once-again-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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