Most Kramatjati shops remain closed

Most Kramatjati shops remain closed

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Most stalls and shops at Kramat Jati market in East Jakarta
remained closed on Tuesday following a clash between vendors and
hoodlums in the area on Sunday evening.

"Only 25 percent of the vendors opened today," said Gunawan
Wibisono, an official at the market.

More than 1,200 of the market's 1,715 vendors chose to close
their stalls and shops due to tension at the market.

Market security personnel safeguarded the market. They were
backed up by about 150 police and military personnel.

However, the police's field commander, First Insp. Djamin M,
said the situation at the market had much improved compared to
Monday.

On Monday, about 500 people wearing black uniforms and
claiming to be ethnic Banten people blocked Jl. Raya Bogor in
front of the market. Armed with sharp weapons, including bamboo
spears and daggers, they looked for Madurese hoodlums who had
reportedly imposed unofficial fees on vendors, including ethnic
Banten vendors.

The illegal fees had been collected for years, but it was not
until Sunday night that a clash between Madurese hoodlums and
Banten vendors broke out.

The Banten vendors reportedly enlisted the help of friends
from outside the area to help them attack the Madurese.

A truce was called during a talk between leaders from the two
conflicting groups on Monday night.

Rumor has it that the leaders' call for a truce may fail to
pacify those involved in the clash.

Vendors from Banten usually sell meat, bananas and chicken,
while those from Madura traditionally sell fish.

Most vendors operating on Tuesday were vegetable and fruit
sellers.

"We are braced for possible renewed fighting as we have no
choice," said Wati, 22, a vendor.

"Our vegetables will be easily damaged if we keep them in
storage for days," the vegetable vendor complained.

Wati said the incident had kept customers away.

Another vegetable vendor, Soenardi, 35, said that usually he
took home Rp 50,000 in profit. But on Tuesday, business was very
slow.

Following the incident, no hoodlums appeared at the market to
collect fees from the vendors.

Soenardi, who was born in Surakarta, Central Java, revealed
that before the incident, he had to pay seven fees a day. The
fees varied, from Rp 200 to Rp 1,000, he said.

Meanwhile, another vendor, Jine Sembiring, 27, said the
practice of charging unofficial fees was common at every market.

"You can check for yourself. Every market has fees, be they
official or unofficial," said Jine who has had a stall here for
more than five years.