Troops look on as people pick factory clean
Troops look on as people pick factory clean
JAKARTA (JP): A steady stream of people flowed back and forth,
hauling iron and other construction materials from a deserted
auto assembly factory in North Jakarta on Saturday.
Several trucks and hired carts were parked near the compound
on Jl. Lodan as the people, mostly scavengers and used goods
vendors, went about their business.
A handful of soldiers armed with rifles could only watch the
plundering, which has occurred for the past two weeks.
Some of them even helped clear the way for the vehicles, using
the opportunity to ask for tips.
No representatives of the plant, called Bengkel (auto repair
shop) Mercedes, owned by the Indonesian Service Company, could be
reached for comment.
But one of the soldiers at the scene, Chief Sgt. Suherman,
said the people were plundering the site because they had no
permission from the owners.
"But what else can we do as even the police who should secure
this site have already given up. The people outnumber us."
On Sunday afternoon about 400 soldiers, deployed to the
location, managed to secure the site by driving the looters away.
Local police reportedly first tried to drive the people from
the site, giving up when they returned in force the next day.
Suherman said the plot formerly belonged to liquidated Bank
Umum Nasional; its assets are now under the supervision of the
Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency.
From a distance, a soldier could be seen taking Rp 10,000 from
a tired-looking man, who quickly pulled out the note at the
former's approach.
Locals said the site was used to assemble various types of
cars until about five years ago when operations moved to Bekasi.
Ten warehouses and two office buildings sit on its four
hectares. Only the frames remain on eight of the structures which
have been picked clean.
Risks are involved. Three people have reportedly died in
accidents at the site.
Muadis, 36, of Pademangan died from a fall from a roof after
he tried to rip off iron sheeting.
Friends collected their bodies but did not report the deaths
to the police.
The people believed they were not doing anything wrong.
They argued the materials would rust and go to waste if they
did not take them.
Nobody knows who first started to plunder the site.
"All we knew was that these abandoned stores belonged to
Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra," one of the men said, referring to
the youngest son of former president Soeharto.
A used iron vendor, Eko, from Jantis in Pekojan, West Jakarta,
said his sister, in the same profession, had tipped him off.
"My sister told me to come here, saying that there are a lot
of things that can be taken here. She did not mention whether it
was allowed or not."
Indra from Angke, also in West Jakarta, said he came to the
"mining" site with his five workers, who helped him sort iron.
Renting a truck for Rp 50,000 per day, he said he could earn
at least Rp 300,000 daily from the lucrative business.
Some people have even brought along melding machines to make
their work easier; most vendors and scavengers rely on
screwdrivers.
City police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang claimed not to
know about the pillaging of the site.
"There has been no report on looting either from the police or
from the company, but I'll seek information from the local police
about this matter," he said on Saturday evening. (emf)