Authorities to raid pedicabs

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration plans to launch another crackdown against pedicabs, which still roam the streets of the capital despite a 1988 ban.

Firman Hutajulu, head of the city's public order office, said the raid against becak, as the three-wheeled vehicle is called, would continue on the basis of previous operations.

At a news briefing, Firman declined to say when the crackdown would begin or the extent of the becak problem.

The Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), a non-governmental organization that has been fighting against the 1988 bylaw, said in a statement on Tuesday that based on its information, the crackdown would be carried out from September to November this year.

The crackdown, according to UPC, would involve a significant number of military and police personnel, whose number might exceed the number of becak drivers.

UPC again called on the city administration to stop its costly campaign to evict becak from the city as it violated becak drivers' human rights to earn a living.

It suggested that the city administration use the funds allocated for raiding becak drivers for other purposes that would benefit the poor.

UPC estimates that there are at least 8,992 becak still operating in the city.

One operation in March 2000 turned violent when the pedicab drivers put up a fight. One officer was killed, 11 others injured and six operational vehicles were set ablaze.

The pedicabs reappeared in the streets of Jakarta in 1998 at the height of the economic crisis, in part encouraged by Governor Sutiyoso who said then that their return could help the poor eke out a living.

He quickly made an about-face when it became apparent that the presence of becak was disrupting the city's traffic.

The administration has seized nearly 14,000 becak in various operations since 1999.

It has handed out Rp 250,000 in compensation to 4,756 pedicab drivers netted during the operations and has sent 1,698 others back to their villages after paying each of them Rp 50,000 in compensation.

Firman said 1,751 becak had been dumped in Jakarta Bay and the rest were being kept in a warehouse.

UPC in a statement earlier accused the administration of lying and of manipulation, saying that the Rp 53 million ($48,000) fund allocated to dump the vehicles in the sea had been embezzled.

Firman refused to comment on UPC's claims.

"They can say whatever they want," he said. (06)