City intensifies policing operation

JAKARTA (JP): From a distance, a couple of tourists thought something interesting was going on at the National Monument.

They asked the driver of their bajaj (three-wheel motorized vehicle) to stop so they could have a look.

However, a few men in dressed in brown approached the driver, Durmad, and fined him Rp 18,500 -- his earnings for the day -- for stopping in a prohibited zone.

"If I don't pay the fine, (the officials) will impound my bajaj," he said, as his passengers watched in amazement.

The attraction sought by the tourists turned out to be an on- site court for the Central Jakarta mayoralty's routine operasi yustisi (justice operation).

Durmad was fined Rp 20,000, but was allowed to leave after paying what he could. An official said the driver stopped in a prohibited zone, and if he wished to park he could have done so further on.

Durmad was among 38 people fined during the operation on Thursday, which was coordinated by the mayoralty, police and the Central Jakarta District Court.

Officials in such operations are authorized to confiscate a person's belongings if they do not pay their fine. Fines range from Rp 10,000 to Rp 30,000 for violations such as selling goods in prohibited areas and for not being able to show identification papers.

H.R. Deded Sukandar, the head of the law agency at the mayoralty, said the aim of the operation was to uphold public order. He said people were urged to be honest and to be aware of their transgressions, adding that the operation also showed officials were "serious" about maintaining public order.

Earlier operations have led to an increased awareness of less- serious crimes and violations, Deded said, such as in the Senen area, notorious for thefts.

He said authorities were lenient in the operation, allowing people to pay less than the amount of their fines if they were able to convince officials they did not have enough money to pay the full fine.

"A person guilty of not obeying traffic signs is subject to a maximum fine of Rp 50,000 or three months imprisonment. But we adjust the fine to the type of violation and the condition of the person," said presiding judge Upojo.

Despite officials' expectations that the operation would make people more aware of the law, some of those receiving fines seemed to feel they just had bad luck.

A taxi driver said he had stopped for a moment to get some water from out of his trunk to wash his face, when he was approached and fined Rp 20,000 for stopping in a no-stopping zone.

"This is a really expensive wash," Rusman said. (07)