Vendor on hunger strike in Riau

PEKANBARU, Riau: A 23-year-old man went into the fifth day of his hunger strike on Thursday, a protest against the renovation of the Senapelan traditional market here, which would result in the eviction of vendors.

Rinaldi, the hunger striker, had to be hooked to an intravenous drip feed as his health was deteriorating.

Tabrani Rab, a local figure and a lecturer at the University of Riau who visited Rinaldi on Thursday, urged the Pekanbaru Mayor to heed the protest, saying the market development should not displace traditional vendors. --Antara