Residents destroy, burn food stalls

TANGERANG (JP): About 300 angry residents of Pondok Jaya in Pondok Aren damaged and burned over the weekend a number of food stalls which they believed to have been used for prostitution and selling alcohol.

An officer from the Tangerang Regency Office said the locals did not want the stalls, which belonged to Nur, 30 and Marjan, 45, to run their illegal business in the neighborhood.

Before Friday's "attack", residents had already asked the owners to close down the stalls due to the approaching Islamic fasting month Ramadhan, said the officer, who requested anonymity.

"Unfortunately, the owners apparently gave no response," he said.

At about 6 p.m. Friday the residents chased away some women believed to be prostitutes before pelting stones at the stalls and setting fire to them.

The situation was brought under immediate control as local police and military officers promptly arrived at the scene.

The case is now being handled by the Tangerang police precinct.

Similar incidents have recently taken place in Jatake, Legok and Babakan in which residents, upset by the illegal practices taking place in their neighborhoods, have taken the law into their own hands. The residents were fed up complaining to the local authorities.

Their actions were immediately stopped by the Tangerang riot police.

Most of the owners of the stalls in the latest incident suffered huge material losses and prolonged trauma.

One of the owners, Pungut, 40, said her gutted building, damaged furniture and household items amounted to an estimated loss of Rp 10 million (US$2,200).

"Even my youngest son had to miss school because his uniforms were all burned," she said.

But she said she managed to carry her ailing husband out of the burning building.

Pungut admitted that most food stalls and kiosks in the three villages, located near sand quarries, could offer girls between Rp 20,000 and Rp 30,000 for their services. (41/04)