Street vendors protest eviction

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java

Hundreds of street vendors and becak (pedicab) drivers occupied the municipal office here on Monday, in protest over their forced eviction from areas around shopping malls.

The protesters demanded the local government allow them to operate in the areas around the shopping malls.

"They use hoodlums or pay security officers to drive us out. The city doesn't even ban us from operating there," said Bambang Supriyanto, the coordinator of the street vendors.

According to him, street vendors and becak drivers around the areas of Cirebon Mall, Grage Mall, and the Asia and Yogja supermarkets have been forced to leave.

"It's true that the managers don't forbid us, but there are certain people always threatening us and saying we should not be here," said Bambang.

Cirebon Mayor Lasmana Suryaatmadja accepted the protesters' demand for a meeting and promised to help them resume operations around the shopping malls as soon as possible.

"For the time being we will allow them to operate there until we issue a ruling regulating their areas of operation," said the municipality spokesman Tuti Suryawati. "We will also ask the managers of these supermarkets to coexist with them peacefully."

Bambang said he expected Lasmana to keep his promise otherwise they would return in greater numbers.

Cirebon, he said, was home to about 1,000 street vendors, spread across the city's traditional markets and other crowded areas. Becak drivers numbered about 6,000, operating in two shifts.

Most of the street vendors and becak drivers are migrants from the Central Java regencies of Tegal and Brebes and neighboring West Java regencies of Indramayu, Tasikamalaya and Kuningan, said Bambang.

Legislative council speaker Suryana said the absence of proper regulations on the informal sector had caused street vendors and becak drivers to often complain to the local government of discriminatory practices against them.