City continues public order operation for APEC

City continues public order operation for APEC

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration continues in its
operation to sweep sidewalk and street vendors, street singers,
hookers and transvestites from major roads during the current
meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Kusnaeni Budiantoro, head of the public order bureau, told
reporters yesterday that at present his officers had detained 32
street vendors, 12 street singers, 60 hookers, 20 transvestites,
286 beggars and squatters and 12 "jockeys" for the three-in-one
traffic zones.

The law enforcement officers also confiscated 2,486 illegal
street advertisements and banners, he said.

Toha Reno, staff of the public order bureau, said that
basically such an operation is routinely conducted by the city
authorities.

"The public order operation in the city has been intensified
to make the city clean during the current APEC meeting," Toha
said.

Kusnaeni said that the operation, which started 45 days before
the APEC summit meeting on Nov. 15 and is expected to end 14 days
after the meeting, is being conducted in conjunction with the
Jakarta Military Command, the City Police, the City Land
Transportation and Traffic Control Agency and the City Social
Welfare office.

He said that a total of 3,960 officers were involved and that
the operation is conducted 24-hour-a-day, and is divided into 4
shifts in 10 sectors, including 31 dangerous areas, throughout
the city.

He explained that the operation is concentrated on the main
streets, alternative roads, hotel areas and the conference
places.

Kusnaeni also said that the operation has demolished a total
of 1,618 illegal buildings constructed on lands owned by the
state.

Toha said that the arrested vendors, hookers, transvestites
and jockeys have been handed over to the city office of social
welfare while goods confiscated from the vendors were sent to the
public order office's warehouses.

"The owners are allowed to reclaim their belongings after
paying administrative fees," Toha said. (yns)