Migrants face raids in Jakarta

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Budi, a 30-year-old resident of Bogor, West Java, was anxious when he learned that Jakarta would launch raids on rented houses starting Thursday, to weed out unregistered newcomers to the city.

"I'm afraid of being arrested. Who would pay the Rp 5 million (US$555.56) fine so that I could walk free -- certainly not my employer," said the food stall employee. "Do I have to have a Jakarta ID even though my house is in Bogor?"

Budi is not the only person worried by the establishment of a joint force by the administration, which specifically targets new migrants who rent houses or live in boarding houses.

"A joint force of the police, public order agency, the military, the prosecutor's office, and district court judges, will carry out door-to-door raids on rented homes and boarding houses starting Thursday," said Eldarman, head of the Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency's population supervision and control division.

Summary trials will be conducted at the sites.

"Thursday's raids will target rented homes and boarding houses in Jati Pulo (West Jakarta), Kelapa Gading Barat (North Jakarta), Cipinang Melayu (East Jakarta) and Kalibata (South Jakarta)," he said.

The joint force will work together with neighborhood unit and community unit chiefs since "they know their residents better than us", Eldarman said.

The recently issued Bylaw No. 4/2004 on population and civil registration stipulates that new migrants must report to the population agency 14 days at the latest after their arrival here.

Central Jakarta Mayor Muhayat confirmed that Thursday's operation would go ahead as scheduled. "This is part of law enforcement aimed at new migrants. They must abide by the prevailing regulations," he said.

The bylaw requires a new migrant aged 17 years and above, or already married, to obtain a visitors identity card (KIP). They are required to show documents certifying that they have permanent jobs and permanent residences here.

"If they fail to show the required documents, we will send them home," he said.

Agency head Abdul Kadir reported last week that his agency had recorded at least 190,356 new migrants entering the capital during the Idul Fitri holiday. Last year's figure was 204,830.