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)