Officials unable to control street vendors

Officials unable to control street vendors

JAKARTA (JP): City public order officials renewed complaints
about difficulties they found in eradicating street vendors, long
dubbed the source of disorderliness in the capital.

"Our officers on the ground find it difficult to deal with the
illegal vendors. They can neither be controlled nor empowered,"
the public order official in charge of social facilities, Toha
Reno, said over the weekend.

Vendors, selling mineral water, cigarettes and toys, are still
rampant at traffic junctions across the city, despite frequent
operations to remove them.

"The city administration has sought every avenue to relocate
them to markets, but citing quiet business at their new places,
they return to the streets," Toha said.

The intensive crackdown on street vendors, as well as on
prostitutes, unauthorized traffic 'controllers', beggars, becak
(three-wheel rickshaw) drivers and people offering themselves as
passengers on streets restricted to vehicles with three or more
passengers, has been in operation since last July.

The latest operation took place along Jl. Thamrin and Jl.
Medan Merdeka Barat on Friday, and public street vendors agreed
to be removed. But less than two hours after the crackdown, they
had returned and some of them had re-erected their tents.

No violence broke out in the operation as public order
officials took a persuasive approach.

"We have to use wisdom and a social approach to persuade the
vendors to leave their places, although to some extent we have to
act in a tough manner because not all of them are willing to
comply with the public order," Toha said.

He also complained about the lack of personnel.

With only 2,700 personnel available, Toha said it would be
almost impossible to keep street vendors under control, as the
public order officers have to carry out other duties. (amd)