Atrium closed after clash

JAKARTA: Approximately 150 Perisai Bangsa taxi drivers staged a protest at the Plaza Atrium shopping center in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, resulting in a clash that damaged the glass entrance to the shopping center and forced the building management to close up shop for the day.

The incident came a day after a fight between a Perisai taxi driver and a plaza security guard, Maruli. The scuffle began when Maruli asked the taxi driver to move his vehicle because it was backing up traffic.

A war of words soon followed and Maruli ended up with five stitches in his forehead.

The management of Plaza Atrium later contacted the taxi company, which promised to send some people to the shopping center on Tuesday to settle the matter. But the only people who showed up were protesting taxi drivers.

The taxi drivers said the plaza's security personnel gave preferential treatment to drivers from other cab companies when it came to dropping off and picking up passengers in front of the shopping center.

"The management had turned the case over to the police... The plaza will resume operation on Wednesday," the public relations office of PT Segitiga Atrium said in a statement. --JP