Thuggery is everyday practice everywhere<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The act of violence against Tempo is just one example of how
\nthuggery has become so rampant -- or perhaps institutionalized --
\nthat many have raised doubts over law enforcement to eradicate
\nit.<\/p>\n
For Jakartans, such a practice is commonplace, taking place
\nevery day and everywhere, be it on the streets or inside an air-
\nconditioned and fully furnished building.<\/p>\n
Tanah Abang market, Central Jakarta, part of which was razed
\nby fire late last month, is a well-known haven for thugs, who,
\nlike parasites, take money from vendors and others who work there
\nto make a living.<\/p>\n
A small-scale fruit vendor, from the Central Java town of
\nJepara, told The Jakarta Post she never had to pay \"security
\nfees\" to thugs when she first arrived at the market several years
\nago, but just a Rp 1,000 daily fee to market operators.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, she was seen paying Rp 2,000 to three young men
\nin casual attire. The men, whom she said were members of a
\nhoodlum group, asked for money every week.<\/p>\n
A vendor of Muslim apparel, who wished to remain anonymous,
\nadmitted to paying a group of thugs Rp 400,000 per month for what
\nthey called a \"rental fee\". In fact she, as well as other
\nvendors, leases the kiosk from the city market company PD Pasar
\nJaya.<\/p>\n
\"We have to make additional payments, amounting to Rp 10,000
\nper day, in \"security fees\". Sometimes they collect the money
\nalone, but other times they come in a group of six,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She added she was not afraid of the hoodlums, who were led by
\na man called Iyan, although she did not dare skip payments too
\nfrequently.<\/p>\n
A thug, Sidik Hermanto, said he was a member of a gang known
\nas the Tanah Abang Family Group (IKBT). He had an \"IKBT\" insignia
\non the back of his vest. Several other men were also seen wearing
\nthe same type of vest.<\/p>\n
\"We have about 3,000 members who maintain security in the
\nentire Tanah Abang area,\" he said when asked why he and his
\nfriends took money from vendors and public transportation drivers
\npassing the market.<\/p>\n
IKBI, which has an office on Jl. Kyai Haji Mas Mansyur, is one
\nof several gangs of thugs that rule Tanah Abang market.<\/p>\n
A minivan driver, who plies the route from Tanah Abang to
\nKebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, said, \"the thugs are everywhere\", not
\nonly at stopping points but at every junction, where he had to
\npay each at least Rp 500 (around 5 U.S. cents).<\/p>\n
When asked about how much money he had to spend daily on
\nnonexistent services \"provided\" by the thugs, the driver simply
\nsaid, \"It's all too much.\"<\/p>\n
The thugs, at times, also demanded money from his passengers,
\nthe driver said.<\/p>\n
\"There's nothing I can do about the presence of thugs in the
\ncity,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Another victim of thuggery, Titin, a food stall owner in
\nBendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, said in the past a gang of
\nhoodlums usually came to her stall and asked for food without
\npaying for it.<\/p>\n
\"They would ask me to serve them first, even though they had
\narrived much later than other customers,\" she told the Post.<\/p>\n
Outnumbered in a brawl with another Betawi (native Jakartan)
\ngang, the first, which had ruled the neighborhood, fled.<\/p>\n
\"Now, a new gang has replaced them in this neighborhood,\" she
\nsaid, adding that instead of providing them with security, the
\npresence of thugs only increased their insecurity.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thuggery-is-everyday-practice-everywhere-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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