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)