City to sweep vendors for APEC

City to sweep vendors for APEC

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will soon deploy law
enforcement officers to expel street vendors from main roads in
the run-up to next month's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) forum's meeting to be held here and in Bogor, some 70
kilometers south of here.

"We will conduct the operation to keep order and security in
the city during the meeting," the head of the City Security
Bureau Kusaeni Budiantoro announced yesterday.

A similar operation was launched two years ago when Jakarta
hosted the Non-Aligned Movement summit.

He explained that the operation's main goal this time is to
step up security precautions in potential dangerous areas in the
city during the meeting.

Kusaeni acknowledged that the operation has been going on for
a few months through crackdowns on alcoholic beverages and
prostitutes.

According to the data provided by the office 98,150 bottles of
booze were confiscated in April, 153,861 bottles in May, 152
bottles in June, 182 bottles in July, 2,300 bottles in August and
465 bottles in September.

He explained that the operation has been intensified since
early this month by clearing the areas that the meeting's
participants will lay their eyes on.

Kusaeni said that basically the office is focusing on main
areas such as the hotels where the meeting's delegates will stay
during the forum.

"The operation will also be conducted on the surrounding
streets," he added.

A.F. Lapian, deputy chairman of the city security office,
explained that the street operation is divided into four phases.

In the first phase, which got underway on Oct. 1, and will
last through Oct. 20, the office will attempt to persuade street
vendors not to sell their goods on the streets.

He explained that during the second phase, a 15-day operation
due to start on Oct. 21, the office will nab stubborn street
vendors who persist in trying to make a living by trading on the
streets.

"The third and fourth phases are to control public order and
security by deploying officers on those streets. This will be
conducted from Nov. 6 until Nov. 30," Lapian said.

He said that 500 officers per shift, including police
officers, will be deployed to guard the city during the meeting.

The data provided by the office states that 184 street vendors
were nabbed from April until September --- 13 people in April, 17
in June, 60 in July, 65 in August and 29 in September.

He also said that the operation will include efforts to
apprehend people who violate public order regulations, such as
crossing streets at illegal spots and littering.

"I hope Jakartans will obey the regulations as their
participation is instrumental in making the city beautiful and
clean," Lapian said.

The public order operation which was launched in April has
nabbed 27 people, 59 people in May, 122 in July and 122 in
August.

The office also nabbed a total of 1,001 squatters in its
operation from April until September --- 262 squatters in April,
279 in May, 37 in June, 227 in July, 148 in August and 48 in
September.(yns)