People with social problems sent home<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The city administration sent home on Tuesday 50 beggars,
\nstreet singers, street vendors, squatters and thugs to their
\nrespective villages as part of the administration's efforts to
\nbring order to the city.<\/p>\n
The people were arrested by city public order officers last
\nmonth in a series of raids on people who the government terms as
\n\"people with social and community problems\" (PMKS). Upon arrest,
\nthey were housed at the social rehabilitation center in Kedoya,
\nWest Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Clad in a light blue uniform, the people -- 48 men and two
\nwomen -- were taken to the Central Jakarta mayor's office on
\nTuesday at 2:45 p.m. in five paddy wagons, before being sent home
\nto their villages in Central and West Java by economy bus.<\/p>\n
One of the men, Syafrizal, came to Jakarta two years ago from
\nPekalongan, Central Java. He decided to live in the capital to
\nearn a living as he had no skills and no prospects of work in his
\nvillage. However, he failed to find a job here and ended up
\nbecoming a street singer.<\/p>\n
\"I've learned my lesson here in the city, especially when I
\nwas detained at the rehab center,\" he said, referring to his 23
\ndays at the Kedoya center.<\/p>\n
\"It was like a jail as we were held with 10 other people in a
\nroom with bars,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said he was relieved to find that the center treated the
\n\"detainees\" well enough as it fed them three times a day. They
\nwere also told it was necessary to have a skill to enable them to
\nsurvive in the city.<\/p>\n
However, Syahrizal admitted to The Jakarta Post that if he got
\nbored in his village, he might return to Jakarta to try his luck
\nagain.<\/p>\n
Raids against PMKS have long been part of the administration's
\npolicy to restore order to the city. Amid criticism from
\nactivists that the operations were often marred by violence and
\nwere against human rights, the program has been expanded to
\ninclude the controversial ID card raids.<\/p>\n
Syahrizal and other people who were returning home were seen
\noff by Sylviana Murni, the head of the City Population Agency,
\nand Central Jakarta Mayor Petra Lumbun as well as several other
\nmunicipal high-ranking officials.<\/p>\n
Sylviana said they were arrested for not having ID cards or
\nproper jobs. Moreover, their existence here made other people in
\nthe capital uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\"This is a part of our attempts to turn our city into a clean
\nand conducive place for living. Their existence is just a burden
\nto this city as they have no skills, they are uneducated and
\nwithout proper jobs,\" said Sylviana.<\/p>\n
Petra denied that the administration had violated their right
\nto the freedom to live and work in Jakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-with-social-problems-sent-home-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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