75 detained in crackdown against unwanted migrants

JAKARTA (JP): Law enforcement officers briefly detained at least 75 people at two bus stations yesteday they thought were "undesirable" workers moving to the capital in search of employment.

The crackdown was part of the city's annual population control program to prevent unskilled workers from flooding Jakarta after the Idul Fitri holiday.

The 75 people were rounded up in Kampung Rambutan and Pulogadung bus terminals, both in East Jakarta.

Those who were found to have no job or no relatives here were forced to take a bus back to their hometowns.

The operation was conducted jointly by the City Population Agency, the Social Welfare Agency, the Public Order Office and the police.

"The people netted in this operation did not have identification cards and they were usually confused when asked about their jobs or relatives here," Gunadi of the Public Order Office told The Jakarta Post at Kampung Rambutan.

The city has reiterated recently that officials would stop "suspicious" and unwanted residents from entering the capital, because they would only burden the city which had significant population and unemployment problems.

"Please sir, show me your identification card," an officer asked a middle-aged man carrying a big box and two travel bags.

The man grinned at the officer and said he had no identification card. "I left it at home, sir. Please, I've done nothing wrong here."

The officer eventually told the man to go to the operation post to have his name and address recorded.

"Pak, do you have any relatives here?" Again the man said no.

"So unfortunately, sir, you have to go back home. We can't allow you to stay here," the officer said. The man sat on the corner, looking puzzled and desperate.

Gunadi said he felt pity for these newcomers.

"But after doing this year after year, I've gotten used to it. I think this is the best we can do to stop them from coming here," he added.

Last month alone, some 627 Jakarta residents, ranging from three-in-one traffic "jockeys" to transvestites, illegal residents, prostitutes and hoodlums, were rounded up in a series of operations held by the public order office.

Some were sent to rehabilitation centers while others were forced to return to their hometowns.

Another ongoing city operation, Operasi Yustisi, also aims to identify people without proper residency cards. These people are also forced to return to their hometowns.

Deputy Governor for Administration Affairs Abdul Kahfi said that yesterday's operation was needed to help the city resolve its population problems.

Kahfi said the operation was held in the city's five mayoralties, including at bus terminals where people were coming back from celebrating Idul Fitri in the provinces.

"Jakarta belongs to everybody, but the city has a limited capacity to accommodate people. But with these influx control measures, we hope that the population can be kept to reasonable levels," he said.

"We urge people without proper identity cards to go back to their hometowns," he said, "as it is also unsafe for them to travel without proper identity cards especially if something bad happens."

Kahfi said that the operation was in line with the governor's instruction that city officials and prominent figures reregister the city's population.

The administration predicted that 300,000 newcomers would come to the city this year, Kahfi said.

World Bank chief

Kahfi also confirmed yesterday that the President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, would visit a labor-intensive project in North Jakarta.

"This is important because we hope we could get the World Bank to support this project," Kahfi said.

The municipality hopes to set aside Rp 17 billion (US$1.7 million) in the 1998/1999 city budget to finance its labor- intensive work projects with the aim of employing recently dismissed workers.

Prawoto Danoemihardjo, city assistant of economic and administrative affairs, told The Jakarta Post last week that the fund was needed to cope with the city's unemployment crisis.

"This is the first time a special fund for this purpose has been proposed. Every year the fund for the labor-intensive program only constitutes a small amount of money and is included in the city manpower agency's budget."

The proposal would be presented to City Council next month and, if approved, it would be officially enacted in April, he said.

An estimated 900,000 people lost their jobs here last year due to the monetary turmoil.

In a bid to save the city from an unemployment disaster and possible social unrest, Governor Sutiyoso launched earlier this month a labor-intensive project worth Rp 4.5 billion from the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas).

The project is intended to employ 35,000 blue-collar workers for 80 days. They began work in the second week of January, repairing water pipelines, dredging rivers and renovating dikes and water canals throughout the city's five mayoralties. (edt/ind)