Traders complain of evictions

JAKARTA: Hundreds of kiosk owners in Ciluar market, Bogor, filed a complaint with the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) on Monday over their eviction from the market area last week.

The traders claim that the Bogor administration "was told to evict them by the developer of the new Plaza Dua Raja shopping mall, PT Jamrud Dua Raja Perkasa".

"We once met the developer to discuss the latter's plan to acquire our plots, but we rejected the land prices it offered. During the meeting, which was also attended by Sukaraja district and Bogor officials, as well as the police, the company threatened to get the Bogor administration to evict us," Rudi Ginting, a trader, said.

The traders said they planned to bring the Bogor administration and the company to the Administrative Court.

The traders argue that they legally acquired 50 kiosks in the market in 1996, but they were still asked to renew their kiosk ownership every year and to pay up to Rp 400,000 on administrative fees to the Bogor Industry and Trade Agency.

They also had to pay about Rp 4,000 in rental per kiosk per day to the city market operator.

PT Jamrud executives Minde Managar and Suradi denied the accusations, saying that they had built temporary kiosks for the traders. -- Antara