Acehnese women traders protest illegal levies

Ibnu Mat Noor, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

In a rare event in war-torn Aceh, more than 40 traders, all women, held a protest march in Banda Aceh against extortion and the local administration's corruption of government subsidies.

The protesters marched from near the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque to the governor's office holding banners protesting the blackmailing of small-scale traders in traditional markets.

They also protested the discriminative distribution of financial assistance to local traders.

Rally coordinator Zainabon said many officials in the city administration did not distribute financial assistance to local traders fairly.

"The government has allocated Rp 30 billion to empower small- scale traders and roadside vendors but so far most of the funds have been distributed to officials' cronies and families," she said during a free speech forum in Simpang Lima.

She also called on local security authorities to crack down on hoodlums and unauthorized city officials who extorted traders and roadside vendors in the city.

A senior official at the governor's office, who asked for anonymity, supported the protest rally, saying many local officials' families and cronies had corrupted the money.

"The rally is a strong indication that the extortion has been a major problem among the traders because such protests have happened very rarely," he said.

Following the mounting tension between the security authorities and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) since 1998, many locals have been reluctant to hold protest marches.

The rally proceeded while a ceremony was held to mark the recent revival of the Iskandar Muda Military Command overseeing the province, at the military command's headquarters in the city.