City's population dragnet kicks off in December

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In order to prevent the already over-populated city from further ballooning due to the influx of new arrivals after Idul Fitri, the Jakarta administration is set to launch an operation targeting new migrants early next month.

"The operation is specifically targeting new migrants who have no guarantee at all of permanent jobs or places to stay in the capital," Jakarta spokesman Catur Laswanto said on Sunday.

Catur said that the operation was aimed at controlling the massive influx of newcomers days after the Idul Fitri holiday on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15.

The City Population and Civil Registration Agency reported that at least 190,356 new migrants had entered the capital in the last two weeks.

The number was obtained from the difference between the number of people leaving the capital, 2,213,812, and the number of people returning, 2,404,168.

This year's figure is lower than past years, when an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 new migrants entered the capital.

According to newly issued Bylaw No. 4/2004 on population registration, migrants have to register themselves with subdistrict offices or the City Population and Civil Registration Agency two weeks after their arrival at the latest.

Several municipalities said that they would launch the operation, named Operasi Yustisi Kependudukan 2004, early in December.

"The operation will be launched simultaneously throughout the city, especially in areas suspected of harboring the new migrants," said Rosyik Muhammad, an official with the Central Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Office.

Rosyik said his office would start the operation on Dec. 2, targeting residential areas in Sawah Besar, Senen and Kemayoran.

He estimated that out of the 190,356 new migrants, 29,238 were staying in Central Jakarta.

Last year, the new migrants living in the municipality were around 37,000.

He asserted that the decline in the number of new arrivals in the capital was due to the call made to those returning to their home villages by Governor Sutiyoso not to take their friends and relatives back to the city to work, as the new migrants, who are mostly unskilled, would only further add to the city's headaches.

"We would have no problem if they just come for a picnic. But, if they are coming to seek work, they are completely wrong. Job opportunities are hard to find here, especially for those who have no skills," Sutiyoso said.

With around 70 percent of the money in the country circulating in Jakarta, the city is still a magnet for people from less developed areas.

According to the new bylaw, new migrants who violate the bylaw may face a maximum sentence of three months in prison, or a Rp 5 million fine.

Number of people enter and leave the capital

Year Exodus Influx Difference

2002 2,643,273 2,874,801 231,528

2003 2,816,384 3,021,214 204,830

2004 2,213,812 2,404,168 190,356

Source: City Population and Civil Registration Agency