City resumes crackdown against vendors
City resumes crackdown against vendors
Hundreds of street vendors from around the Gambir Railway
station attacked city public order officers on Thursday after the
officers confiscated the vendors' possessions just days after
Idul Fitri celebrations.
The officers transported six truck loads of belongings
confiscated from the vendors around the station in Central
Jakarta to a warehouse in Cakung, North Jakarta.
The action enraged the hundreds of vendors effected, who then
took revenge by attacking public order officers in their pick-up
truck passing the station several hours after the raid.
Security guards managed to calm them down and no injuries were
reported. But the incident caused damage to the truck and serious
traffic jams.
Similar raids were conducted on the same day by the East
Jakarta mayoralty in the Cawang area. However, there were no
incidents reported as the vendors had cleared the site several
hours before the raids.
Meanwhile, the north and east Jakarta mayoralties conducted
raids against becak (three-wheeled pedicab) drivers on Wednesday
night.
About 200 pedicabs are reported to have been in operation
around the city recently.
In November, the city public order agency announced that raids
against pedicabs had come to an end after seizing 11,405 pedicabs
in five mayoralties.
The agency slowed down its evictions against street vendors
before Ramadhan after public criticism from non governmental
organizations and the central government, such as Minister of
Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea.
Deputy governor of administrative affairs Abdul Kahfi said
that after slowing down raids against street vendors and pedicab
drivers during the fasting month, the five mayoralties were ready
to again take stern action against street vendors.
"We will continue the crack down against them to enforce the
city public order," he said.
However, Abdul refused to comment when asked whether the
evictions worked or not.
The city administration organizes annual crack downs on
"public order offenders", including street vendors, pedicab
drivers and other informal workers. This year alone, it has
spent about Rp 12 billion on the raids.
Some people questioned the effectiveness of the action as the
offenders often returned regardless. Some others suspected
administration officers were corrupt as it reported to have
evicted thousands of offenders though they continued to operate.