'Becak' drivers stage rally

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: A group of 350 becak (pedicab) drivers staged a rally outside the Banjarmasin mayoralty office on Tuesday, demanding that local authorities lift the newly issued ban on becak services in certain districts of the city.

As Mayor Sofyan Arpan was addressing the crowd during the one- hour protest, a violent outbreak almost occurred when one of the protesters shouted and threatened to create unrest if the authorities failed to fulfill their demands.

The mayor stopped his address abruptly, but the situation was kept under control.

The protesters dispersed peacefully but no deal was concluded with the mayor.

Starting April 1, the mayoralty reactivated a 1996 mayoralty regulation on pedicab free zones in certain busy areas, in a bid to ease traffic congestion.

Later in the day, chief of the South Kalimantan information and communication agency Ardenan P.B. told The Jakarta Post that Mayor Sofyan would explain to the protesters why the regulation had been reenacted, but this was called off because the protest seemed too volatile.

According to Ardenan, the reenactment of the regulation was not intended as a way to reorganize the becak drivers, nor was it going to remove the pedicabs from the city. He did not elaborate upon what he meant by organizing the drivers.

At least 9,000 becak drivers operate in Banjarmasin but only 3,500 of them are registered. (32/emf)