Vendors reject town square, ITC

DEPOK: The vendors at traditional markets in Depok complained on Thursday about the ongoing construction of Depok Town Square and ITC shopping centers as they feared the new facilities will kill their businesses.

"We want the next elected Depok mayor to side with us and decline to inaugurate the shopping centers," said Syafrizal, chairman of the Association of Indonesia Market Traders in Depok.

Otherwise, other traders said, they would stage protests against the shopping centers.

The traders said the shopping centers will each have a hypermarket.

According to Syafrizal, the presence of the hypermarkets will kill Kemiri Muka traditional market, which is located in between the two shopping centers.

"The vendors there have suffered due to the presence of street vendors just outside the market building ... 25 percent of the registered vendors have closed their businesses," he added.

Head of Depok Market Agency, Tutun Sofyan, acknowledged that the administration was in a dilemma.

"We try to be fair to everyone ... we cannot reject investment. But I believe that there is a market for traditional markets," he remarked. -- Antara