Bakauheni traders go on strike here

JAKARTA (JP): Fourteen street vendors from the Bakauheni ferry port in Lampung, at the southern tip of Sumatra, begun a hunger strike on Thursday at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute to press their demands that they be allowed to resume their business operations.

The protesting traders, claiming to represent their 300 fellow vendors, said the harbor authority had repeatedly prohibited the traders from operating at the harbor since 1981.

"Although we set up a legal cooperative this year, the authority still dispersed us," spokesman for the traders A. Jordin told reporters at the legal aid center.

He said the authority earlier promised to allow the traders to resume operations only after they had set up a legal cooperative.

However, the authority instead arrested many of the 300 traders, who are all members of the newly established cooperative, for operating at the harbor, the spokesman for the Bakauheni street vendors said.

"We're often beaten at the harbor office. And our merchandise is even seized," Jordin said.

He said the goods would only be returned when vendors were able to pay between Rp 20,000 (US$2.70) and Rp 25,000.

The ferry port serves inter-city passenger buses and container trucks that connect cities in Sumatra with those in Java and Bali.

Jordin said the cooperative members held a rally at the Ministry of Communications on May 27. During the protest, the ministry's director general of land transportation, Santo Budiono, promised to help settle the problem, he added.

"But until now, the harbor authority still reject us. We will go on hunger strike until the problem is solved."

In response to the traders' demands, the legal aid center director, Apong Herlina, urged the ferry port authority to let the traders resume their business at the harbor.

"We ask the authority to stop violence against the traders without any legal basis," Apong said.

She said the center would send letters to the Minister of Communications, the Lampung governor, Lampung police chief and other related parties to give attention to the matter.(jun)