Tanah Abang traders try to rise up out of the rubble

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With construction of temporary kiosks for those vendors burned out of the Tanah Abang textile market yet to begin, many vendors have converted their cars and minivans into mobile kiosks in an attempt to keep their businesses alive.

Dozens of these "mobile kiosks" were seen in the Tanah Abang parking lot behind the burned market building, an area commonly known by its former name, Kompleks AURI (Air Force housing complex). Mobile kiosks also have appeared in Block D's 4th floor parking area and at the entrance of Block F.

"We cannot wait for the construction of the temporary kiosks in the parking lot of Block F to be completed two months from now. By that time we might have lost our customers," M. Rizal, the owner of one of the 56 cars parked in Block D's parking lot, told The Jakarta Post.

"Moreover, we still have to earn a living. Not only for our families, but for our employees as well," he said.

The cars first appeared on Tuesday, with the employees and owners guarding them 24 hours a day to prevent theft.

On Feb. 19, a fire gutted the four-story Tanah Abang market, believed to be the largest textile market in Southeast Asia. The fire, which burned for four days, destroyed more than 2,500 kiosks in Blocks A, C and E.

The Jakarta administration and city-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya have said rebuilding the market will take about two years. In the meantime, the owners of the destroyed kiosks will occupy Block D's parking area.

A plot of land belonging to the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency about 500 meters from the market will be converted into a parking lot, replacing the parking lot that will be used to house the temporary kiosks. Five shuttle buses will be provided to carry both kiosk owners and customers from the new parking lot to the market.

Rizal, who sells women's clothing, said he had one kiosk in Block A. He lost all of his merchandise, worth about Rp 200 million (US$22,222), in the fire, plus the Rp 300-million kiosk itself.

"Most of the kiosk owners here don't have any other place to go and do their business," he said.

Another kiosk owner, Syahril, said the vendors had to search the market's blocks that were not destroyed by the fire to find their customers and let them know they were still in business.

Parta, an employee of a destroyed kiosk that was located on third floor of Block A, said that although his boss had another kiosk in Block D, which was not destroyed in the fire, the mobile kiosk was necessary.

"Our presence here in the entrance of Block F will ensure that we get a temporary kiosk, because the market operator is now registering the owners of the destroyed kiosks. Moreover, we can get customers or give out business cards to potential customers, letting them know we are still around," he told the Post.