City nets 9,600 people without IDs

City nets 9,600 people without IDs

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

City administration has netted a total of 9,600 people who do not
have identity cards (IDs) during an operation that began early
this year. The operation was focused on rented houses and small
industries like garment firms.

Head of the city population and marriage registration agency
Silviana Murni told the media on Tuesday that the fingerprints of
the people netted during the operation were taken.

"The operation will continue as we believe that there are
still many people without local IDs living in the city," she
said.

To obtain a Jakarta ID, a number of documents are required
including a letter citing one's move to Jakarta from the village
and subdistrict heads and a police clearance.

The documents are required under city Bylaw No. 1/1996.

The Jakarta Post observed how people were easily able to
obtain IDs at subdistrict offices here without those documents
after paying between Rp 100,000 (US$11.6) and Rp 150,000 to
certain officials.

The city administration does not officially receive money from
ID applicants but most of them have to pay subdistrict officials
in order to obtain the ID.

The ID raids at rented houses in the city were intensified,
following the beginning of the military operation in Aceh on May
19. The policy received strong criticism as the Acehnese people
have become the target of the raids.

The population agency has data on 200 Acehnese who have
arrived in the city following the military operation, said
Silviana. But she said none of them had ID problems as most of
them were accommodated by their families here.