Jakarta 'to be raided' by vagrants, beggars

JAKARTA (JP): The capital city will likely be "raided" by thousands of vagrants and beggars during the Idul Fitri festive season, an official said over the weekend.

Toha Reno, head of the city public order and entertainment division, told The Jakarta Post the number of such people entering Jakarta had substantially increased since October as the prolonged dry season hurt most villages throughout Java.

Toha's office data shows that over 2,000 vagrants and beggars have already entered Jakarta and are currently seeking money in major intersections, terminals and markets throughout the city.

"Some 3,000 more will probably enter the city during the festive season, and there's a possibility that the number could multiply. I think they are desperate to get money," he said.

"Besides begging, they usually operate as box carriers or street singers. We have no choice but to try to block their passage into the city," Toha said.

"We're routinely checking new visitors arriving in the city through a series of operations based on Gubernatorial Instruction No. 470/1997 from the beginning of the Ramadhan fasting month up until after Idul Fitri."

On Saturday alone, some 167 people were rounded up in a joint operation by the city public order office and Jakarta police.

Most of them were captured as soon as they entered the Kampung Rambutan and Pulogadung terminals in East Jakarta, and the Senen train station in Central Jakarta.

"Most of them did not bring identification cards with them and didn't have a place to go. Some of them were puzzled when asked if they had any relatives here," Toha said.

He said that since late last month, 1,378 people had been rounded up in a number of operations.

Out of the 1,378 people, 200 had been sent back to their hometowns and 146 had been placed in rehabilitation programs.

The rest had been brought to temporary shelters at Tanjung Duren, South Jakarta and Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta, to wait for arrangements to send them back home.

"They were given accommodations to stay here for a while. The municipality is paying for their meals and has put them in counseling sessions to explain to them that Jakarta is not a dream city," he added.

Some 31 locations, according to Toha, were considered prime operation areas for beggars. Public order officers had been monitoring the sites since they were also prone to crime.

The locations included Cawang, Pulogadung, Kampung Rambutan and Cililitan in East Jakarta; Mangga Dua, Roxy and Glodok in West Jakarta; Senen, Pasar Baru and Kramat in Central Jakarta; and Ancol, Tanjung Priok and Warakas in North Jakarta.

"We are in a difficult economic crisis now and people are desperate to find money. So don't be surprised if the crime rate increases in the coming festive season," Toha said.

"They come here desperately seeking a better life. They come to Jakarta mostly because they have nothing to do back home. But their presence poses a burden to the city," he said.

City Ordinance No. 1/1970 states that Jakarta is a closed city for any visitors who are considered a burden to the city, including jobless people.

Based on gubernatorial decree No. 1540/1996, every visitor must possess travel documents and report to heads of nearby community neighborhoods.

"It seems cruel, maybe, but I think if the government wants to limit the population and bring order the city ... we have no choice but to enforce the law," Toha added.

Sociologist Sardjono Djatiman of the University of Indonesia supported Toha's opinion, saying that beggars poured into the city during major holiday seasons to prey on the good intentions of Jakartans.

"Vagrants and beggars take advantage of the situation during festive occasions," he said.

"And because people tend to give money to them, they always come back to the city because they think there are prospects for them. After all, Jakarta is the center of economic activity."

Clothed in rags, many beggars use infants, the blind or the physically disabled to get the attention of passersby and solicit funds.

"But I believe we have to be fair about this. We are in a difficult situation now. Let's not pamper them. Just be thrifty," Sardjono added. (edt)