Traders to report public order officials

Traders to report public order officials

JAKARTA (JP): An association representing street traders
operating across the capital would report the South Jakarta
Public Order Office and its (alleged) hired hoodlums to the
Jakarta Police for the use of violence in their crackdown on the
vendors, an activist said on Sunday.

"We will report the violent abuse to the police next week. We
have witnesses and victims of the abuse," the coordinator of the
Jakarta Street Traders Association, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, told
The Jakarta Post.

He suspected that the public order office had hired hoodlums,
mostly of Madurese descent, to conduct raids on street traders at
several locations in South Jakarta, including the CSW junction
near the Blok M bus terminal.

He claimed that during the raids the hoodlums had brandished
traditional weapons known as clurit (type of machete), threatened
the traders and kicked them.

"We have reported the incidents to the police in Kebayoran
Lama, but there has been no response. Now we will report them to
the Jakarta Police," Tigor said.

He said the mayoralty administration provided the thugs with
uniforms similar to those worn by public order officers after an
incident involving the hoodlums and street vendors occurred early
last week. The hoodlums claimed they were from the "Community
Potential (Potmas)" group, Tigor said.

He urged the mayoralty to disband this group, saying it would
only spark conflict between different communities.

"In addition, the mayoralty should also disband the banpol
civilian police auxiliaries as they also frequently use violence
against the traders," he said.

Meanwhile, South Jakarta Mayor Abdul Mufti denied reports that
his office had hired hoodlums.

"They are local residents whom we asked to participate in
maintaining public order. They are not preman," Mufti said.

He admitted that many of the potmas members had been recruited
because they were jobless. Each of them was paid Rp 15,000
(US$1.5) per day.

The Preman, (local term for thug), have long bothered the
public with their activities, which include extortion, brawls and
drug consumption.

Governor Sutiyoso declared a war against thugs last week, and
plans to evict them from their various haunts, including
traditional markets. (jun)