Pramuka bird market normal after brawls

Pramuka bird market normal after brawls

JAKARTA (JP): Despite relatively small number of visitors, the Pramuka bird market in East Jakarta returned to normal on Friday following a clash between Madurese people and native Jakartans on Thursday.

Almost all of the bird vendors there opened their stalls, while dozens of police officers guarded the market to prevent any further conflict.

Thursday's clash was caused by a brawl on Wednesday between a Madurese bird broker and a local bird vendor over a customer.

Brokers requested a commission for every customer they claimed to introduce to the vendor. Enraged by the behavior of a Madurese broker, hundreds of local residents attacked over 100 Madurese people who live around the market.

Police managed to quickly control the situation but had to evacuate dozens of Madurese people to a site owned by the city administration in Cibubur, East Jakarta. Others moved to their relatives' homes.

According to one bird vendor, Dede, conflicts had occurred in the area for several years between the Madurese brokers and local vendors, who are mostly Betawi people (native Jakartans).

"We don't like them because they (the Madurese) always demand to broker bird transactions with a higher commission required from the vendors," he said.

Dede claimed that Madurese people did not respect local residents and said that they were "impolite" and often used weapons to intimidate people.

"They don't have ID cards but they are arrogant," he told The Jakarta Post.

Nur, a Madurese bird broker who returned to the market to take his belongings, claimed that the bird vendors were just jealous of the Madurese brokers' expertise in selling birds.

He admitted that only several Madurese people had problems with local residents.

One bird broker, who has lived in the area for over five years, said that Madurese people could not stay calm if local residents attacked one of their colleagues.

"We have to defend our relatives," he said, saying that Madurese people consider colleagues as relatives.

According to Nur, it was a Madurese custom to use weapons during a fight, saying that "it was a manly way to solve any problem".

Currently, Nur and his family of two children live at their relatives house in the Rawamangun area of East Jakarta. He said that he would not return to the market and would continue his job as a bird broker in other markets here.

Meanwhile, a police officer guarding the market said that the police had to take security seriously as there was the possibility of a new clash developing.

"We found some weapons such as knives, daggers and Molotov cocktails in a house rented by Madurese people near this market," said the officer, who asked not to be identified.

According to him, it was possible that Madurese people would try to take revenge on the bird vendors.

"I know that conflicts sometimes happen between Madurese and local people here, but I did not believe that it could be this bad," Siti, 36, a Madurese told the Post.

"We have to suffer because of other people's mistakes."

Siti was grateful that her family was not attacked during the incident and that she could secure her cash and belongings, including some furniture.

"I don't think we will go back to Pramuka market because we are afraid local residents will attack us in the future," she remarked, adding that they would move from the temporary site as soon as they found a new place to live. (04)