Repressive action in raids regretted

Repressive action in raids regretted

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City councillors have expressed regret at the violence and
repression used by some Jakarta administration officials during
its controversial identification card raids early this week.

Council commission E for social welfare affairs chairwoman
Wasilah Sutrisno called on officials from the City Public Order
Agency to stop the violence against residents, mainly the poor,
during the raids.

"The officials were supposed to only guard their colleagues
from the City Population Agency during the raids. Let their
colleagues handle the problem. They must talk (instead of using
violence)," National Mandate Party councillor Wasilah said.

She was referring to violence, including an incident when the
head of the North Jakarta Public Order Office, Tonny Boediono,
stormed into a house and slapped two girls in the face thinking
they were attempting to escape.

Wasilah said despite the violence, she still supported the
raids to uphold the bylaw 1/1999 on population and the bylaw
11/1988 on public order.

Councillor Sayogo Hendrosubroto pointed out that the raids
would not solve overpopulation problems as the main issue was the
economic conditions of the illegal residents.

"The ID card raids, like evictions (of the urban poor), need
better treatment," Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
councillor Sayogo, adding the victims were the poor and
supporters of his party.

"We have suggested improvements and solutions to the raids and
evictions but the administration never listened to us."

On Tuesday, a total of 1,763 people were checked and 549 of
them were tried in the ID card operation. Seventy three were then
freed and the remaining 473 people fined.

Nearly 40 people would be sent home after serving a month at
the city's rehabilitation center in Kedoya, West Jakarta.

Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan
also urged the administration to stop the raids as it violated
human rights.

"The administration must punish its officials who used
violence against the people during the raids and free those at
the Kedoya center."

Azas urged the administration to give free ID cards to the
people in a transparent way.

People must pay between Rp 50,000 (US$4.8) and Rp 100,000 to
subdistrict officers to get a resident ID card.