100 netted in illegal migrant raids
JAKARTA (JP): City officials arrested 100 illegal migrants who failed to display ID Cards as the 'door-to-door' raid began on Thursday, an official said.
The raid, which commenced at 6 a.m., was held in four subdistricts in Central Jakarta, head of the Central Jakarta Population Agency F.X. Wuryanto said.
"The operation was held as shock therapy for migrants who have just arrived in the capital following the Christmas, Idul Fitri and New Year holidays," he said.
He said the capital belonged to everyone, but added that people who want to live here must follow city regulations on population.
The raid was held in the Kebon Sirih subdistrict of Menteng district, Pasar Baru subdistrict of Sawah Besar district, Kebon Kelapa subdistrict of Gambir district, and Utan Panjang subdistrict of Kemayoran district, he said.
He said the officials arrested 35 migrants in Menteng district, 18 in Sawah Besar district, 26 in Gambir district, and 21 in Kemayoran district.
"Most of the arrested migrants are employees at city entertainment centers, shopkeepers, waitresses, vendors, residents of rented houses, and domestic helpers," he said.
The city population agency previously recorded that up to 80 percent of some 176,000 migrants who recently arrived in the capital to seek jobs did not report their presence to the local authorities, which is a violation of City Bylaw No. 1/1996 on resident registration.
The 1996 regulation stipulates that residents must possess valid identity (ID) cards once they turn 17. Those caught without ID cards could face a maximum penalty of three-months imprisonment or a Rp 50,000 (US$5.2) fine.
Wuryanto said the illegal immigrants were sent to a provisional court at around 11 a.m., which was established in the National Monument (Monas) park, and presided over by judge Saparudin from the Central Jakarta District Court.
Head of the legal division of the Central Jakarta mayoralty office H.R.D. Sukandar said that each operation costs around Rp 4 million, which is being allocated from the mayoralty's routine expenditure.
Sukandar said the money was used to pay for the honorarium of the judge, the prosecutors, the police, and other officials who were involved in the operation.
One of the arrested migrants was identified as Jumadi, 23, a resident of Menteng district who hails from Pontianak in West Kalimantan.
"I have no ID because I lost all the supporting documents to apply for the Jakarta ID," Jumadi, who has been in the capital for two years now, told the judge.
The court asked him to pay some Rp 10,000 for the fine.
Another migrant, Rukini, 52, a vagrant who lives under the statue in the Monas area, was taken to the social care center because she had no money to pay her fine. (04)