T. Abang vendors to lose permits, says operator

T. Abang vendors to lose permits, says operator

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

A court order meant to protect the livelihoods of 3,000 vendors
in the Tanah Abang textile market would actually stop most of
them from trading, the market's operator claims.

City-run market operator PD Pasar Jaya said it would not be
able to renew the permits of more than 2,600 of the vendors
because of an asset preservation order issued by the Central
Jakarta District Court.

The order would forbid PD Pasar Jaya from renovating, tearing
down or selling the market indefinitely. The company, which is in
a dispute with the traders over planned renovations, says the
order would also restrict it from administrative business.

Only 600 traders, whose long-term permits expire in 2007 and
2024, would not be affected by the ruling, PD Pasar Jaya lawyer
Listyo Winarno said.

A spokesman for the traders, Sofyan Masyud, said they were
disturbed by the claim.

"I can't immediately comment on this situation. I have to
discuss it first with other traders to look deeper into the
case," he told The Jakarta Post.

Listyo said the court order would "only boomerang back on the
traders".

"Under the current legal status, the company will not be able
to renew the permits," he said. Traders whose permits had expired
must leave the premises, he said.

However, Listyo also said PD Pasar Jaya had yet to receive the
order, or the details of a separate civil lawsuit filed against
it by traders at the West Jakarta District Court.

Traders took the action against PD Pasar Jaya and its private
business partner, PT Sari Kebon Jeruk Permai, on Nov. 22 to fight
the two entities' plans for the market.

As the market is located in Central Jakarta, the West Jakarta
court has requested the Central Jakarta court to execute the
preservation order.

However, a court spokesman confirmed it had yet to issue the
order on Friday.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso suspected that the latest ruling was
marred by "irregularities". He said the West Jakarta court had
failed to inform the city, as the owner of the land and property,
prior to the execution of the order.

"The court should have issued summonses for hearings before
making any ruling," he said.

Listyo said PD Pasar Jaya planned to sue the traders at the
Central Jakarta court in response.

"We will also request the court revoke the ruling," he said.

The market operator and PT Sari plan to completely rebuild
Tanah Abang's Market's blocks B, C, D and E.

A study by the Bandung Institute of Technology' School of
Civil Engineering says the four blocks are in danger of
collapsing because they are gravely structurally unsound.

Traders oppose the plan because they say the fees the operator
plans to charge in the new market are too high.

The traders, some of whom have permits to operate in the old
market until 2024, also oppose its demolition.