Illegal kiosks torn down

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of illegal kiosks in Gaplok market, along a railroad in Senen district, Central Jakarta, were torn down by Central Jakarta public order officers on Thursday.

Hundreds of vegetable and fruit vendors could do nothing when dozens of officers, who were guarded by police and armed military officers, pulled down their makeshift kiosks.

Public order officers collected the remnants of the kiosks, in the form of wooden tables and boxes, and burned them.

The vendors said they paid between Rp 25,000 (US$9.80) and Rp 50,000 to a man who claimed to be the leader of the area, to help prevent their kiosks from being demolished.

"Actually I paid Rp 25,000 to Bang Amad last week, but unfortunately the officers still tore down my kiosk," Karni, a vegetable vendor, said.

Another vendor, Kasminah, who has sold vegetables at the market for almost 15 years, said she paid Rp 50,000 to Amad, a leader of local hoodlums, two weeks ago.

They said Amad told them the kiosks would be demolished. He then asked for money from vendors to bribe officers in order to postpone the demolition, they said.

Most of the vendors said they would rebuild their makeshift kiosks soon, since they did not have any other place to do business.

"This is the third clearance of the area this year. But they usually come back," head of nearby Tanah Tinggi subdistrict, Jauhari, said. (jun)