Jakarta 'to be raided' by vagrants, beggars

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)