Military condemned for treatment of street vendors

Military condemned for treatment of street vendors

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(Kontras) condemned the military in Cianjur, West Java, for
getting involved in the street vendor problem in the regency.

Kontras coordinator Ori Rahman said in a press release on
Saturday that the military's interference had led to violence
against the vendors.

"We demand that all military personnel in the field stop their
interference in the handling of the street vendor problem because
street vendors pose no threat to security," he said.

Ori also said military personnel should avoid any actions that
violate legal procedures, in a bid to reestablish the
professionalism of the military.

He said the military should work professionally and in
accordance with its function as a defensive force.

Kontras received a report detailing the military's raid on
street vendors in Cianjur on Nov. 13. According to the report,
soldiers from Brawijaya Battalion 327 and Cianjur Battalion V
chased and beat street vendors operating illegally in the city.

Two vendors, identified as Iwir Wiharta, 25, and Agus, 30,
were seriously injured in the raid, while another vendor, Asep,
received some bruises on his face.

The report also said the soldiers destroyed goods and
merchandise belonging to a number of street vendors.

Kostras also condemned the Cianjur administration for
involving the military in the raid, saying Cianjur Regent Wasidi
Swastono should have know better than to bring in the military to
deal with street vendors.

Ori said the Cianjur administration should remain committed to
empowering small-scale entrepreneurs, including street vendors,
in the regency.

"The regent should take human values into consideration in
taking necessary measures against street vendors," he said.

He called on the regent to set aside areas of the city for the
street vendors to work, to prevent them from clogging up the
streets and sidewalks.