Provisional ID card issued

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta mayoralty issued over 28,200 temporary identity cards for seasonal workers as of last month.

Head of the mayoralty's population office Nurzul Noor said that most of the temporary cards were issued in Tanah Abang and Sawah Besar districts.

The issuance of so many temporary cards in the two districts, the city's major business centers, was caused by the fact a large number of seasonal workers make their living in the areas, he said.

"We can find many rented houses in the two districts accommodating these seasonal workers," he said, adding that the number of seasonal workers in Central Jakarta is the highest among the city's five mayoralties.

Nurzul said that the workers, who come mainly from Central Java and West Java, usually are employed as laborers in the construction of high-rise buildings.

"They are mostly farmers who leave their homes and families here while waiting for the harvest season for their paddy fields," he added. (hhr)