City prepares for influx of migrants after Idul Fitri

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With about 2.11 million people estimated to be leaving the capital for Idul Fitri, the city administration is gearing up for an increasing number of migrants entering Jakarta after the festivities.

Head of the City Population and Civil Registration Agency, Sylviana Murni, said on Tuesday that as many as 270 officers would be deployed at all entrance gates to the city -- from seaports, airport, bus terminals, train stations to toll road gates -- to monitor the outflow and inflow of travelers.

"We hope that the effort will give us an accurate picture of the number of newcomers," she said.

Sylviana said the officers would also hold massive ID card sweeps to raid newcomers who do not possess the required documentation, such as a letter of explanation from authorized officials from their hometowns, as stipulated in the city bylaw no. 1/1996 on the population registration and population management information system.

The 270 officers will be from the City Population and Civil Registration Agency and the City Public Order Agency.

On average, around 230,000 people come to Jakarta every year after Idul Fitri celebrations. Last year, a total of 231,528 migrants entered the capital.

Most are unskilled workers who end up working low-paid jobs such as maids or gardeners. Some of the more skilled workers can find employment as drivers or nannies.

Governor Sutiyoso has repeatedly called on the people not to bring along their relatives or friends from outside Jakarta if they have not secured permanent jobs.

He has blamed the migrants for erecting makeshift houses on vacant land and creating slum areas. These people have been the targeted for eviction.

The official city population is 8.36 million people, with 7.46 million holding Jakarta ID cards registered at the City Population and Civil Registration Agency while the remaining 900,000 hold seasonal ID cards.

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Idul Fitri population fluctuations in Jakarta: -------------------------------------------------------------- Year Outflow Inflow addition percentage -------------------------------------------------------------- 1998 2,853,868 3,201,624 347,756 12.19 1999 2,622,430 2,857,215 234,785 8.95 2000 2,159,729 2,416,452 256,723 11.89 2000/ 2,436,007 2,612,012 176,005 7.23 2001 2001 2,372,069 2,507,255 135,186 5.70 2002 2,643,273 2,874,893 231,528 8.76 --------------------------------------------------------------- Average 2,514,563 2,744,909 230,528 9.12 ---------------------------------------------------------------

Source: City Population and Civil Registration Agency