Carousel of intrigue as fairground ouster proceeds

Carousel of intrigue as fairground ouster proceeds

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The removal of the management of the Jakarta Fairground in
Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, proceeded peacefully on Thursday amid
fears that it could possibly turn violent.

Thousands of officers from the Jakarta Police, the military
and the city public order agency were deployed to secure the
eviction at the 251,600-square-meter plot of land and buildings,
as decreed by the Central Jakarta and North Jakarta District
Courts.

The two courts decided in favor of tycoon Siti Hartati Murdaya
against her former associate Edward Soeryadjaya in a legal
dispute.

The dispute started when Hartati accused Edward of not giving
her shares as promised in PT Jakarta International Trade Fair
(JITF) after her Mauritius-based investment vehicle, Jerome
International Limited (JIL), bailed out JITF when it was mired in
financial difficulties.

Although Edward had promised to give 52.5 percent shares in
JITF to Hartati's PT Central Citra Murdaya, he instead asked for
debt restructuring.

Jerry B. Rampen, the Central Jakarta District Court executor
who led the eviction, demanded JITF representatives to vacate the
main building at the fairground immediately after he read the
court decision at 10:10 a.m. The eviction started at 11 a.m.

The fairground hosts the Jakarta Fair to commemorate the
capital's anniversary each year.

JITF legal affairs executive Diah Pertiwi had requested a two-
day grace period to pack up company property in the building, but
Jerry rejected the request, saying that the team had to complete
the eviction in one day.

Jerry ordered around 500 porters to enter the main building to
remove and store company property at court warehouses in Cakung,
East Jakarta, and Bekasi.

Central Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. YM Jaya fulfilled
JITF's request and allowed only uniformed porters and police
officers into the building.

While the eviction was being carried out, David Tjioe, alias A
Miauw, a close aid of businessman Tomy Winata, was spotted at the
venue. He was acquitted last year by the Central Jakarta District
Court of charges of violence against others and a minor assault
on Tempo magazine's office following the daily's report linking
Tomy with the February 2003 Tanah Abang textile market fire.

David said he was invited by friends to take part in securing
the eviction, and denied that his presence indicated Tomy's
interest in managing the fairground.