Beggars banned at Air Show

Beggars banned at Air Show

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is determined to keep
street vendors and beggars from roaming city streets during the
1996 Indonesia Air Show scheduled for next month.

A city public order official said over the weekend that the
"clean-up operation" will start 14 days before and last until the
one-week show, which opens on June 22, closes.

"The operation will be focused on the city's main streets and
the roads leading to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
where the show will take place.

Streets around hotels where participants will be staying are
also targets of the raids," Toha Reno, the head of the
entertainment department of the public order office, said.

The participants and other guests for the air show will stay
at 27 hotels, such as the Hilton, Sahid Jaya, Atlet Century,
Travelodge Ancol, Regent and Omni Batavia hotels.

He said that the people carrying out the operation will
dismantle illegal billboards and shanties. Parking and traffic
flow will also be managed.

"The operation will involve a total of 2,160 personnel and
cost Rp 284.7 million (US$80,304)," he added.

A new segment of toll road linking the west and east parts of
the city is expected to be in use before the air show starts.
This is expected to facilitate the traffic flow to and from the
international airport, which is located in West Jakarta. (yns)