3,000 lose jobs after Bekasi riots

BEKASI (JP): Some 3,000 people lost their jobs here in the wake of the massive rioting on May 14 because their places of work were wreaked or burned down, an official said over the weekend.

They bring the number of people who have lost their jobs since the economic crisis began last July to over 16, 400, said R. Abdullah, secretary of the Bekasi All-Indonesia Workers Union Federation.

He said the actual number could be much higher because not all people losing employment had notified the union, Antara reported.

The union has formed a special team assigned to help jobless people find employment in cooperation with the Bekasi mayor.

Among the projects the union has proposed is fish farming along Kali Malang River and the provision of soft loans for the jobless to start businesses. (pan)