TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A riot broke out on Thursday as officers from the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) attempted to relocate street vendors from the National Monument (Monas) during the World Royal Heritage Festival in Central Jakarta. Some street vendors were injured from being hit by stones and others were stunned by a stun gun.
The riot ensued as Public Order Agency officers requested street vendors to exit the Monas area due to the World Royal Heritage Festival. The festival is scheduled to be held from December 5 to December 8.
Roni, a t-shirt vendor, said initially the vendors did not mind when they were asked to exit. However, when they attempted to leave through the east exit of Monas, they were blocked by other members of Satpol PP.
"When we were trying to move our goods [out of the area], the door was padlocked and blocked by five Satpol PP cars," he said. "Six of our motorcycles were also damaged by stones."
These two incidents triggered a riot that began with vendors throwing stones at the officers, to which officers retaliated from a distance of 50 meters.
Kholiq, another t-shirt vendor, said he was also beaten and stunned by Satpol PP officers near the east exit of Monas. He called on Governor Joko Widodo to ban Satpol PP officers from using stun guns as he and his colleagues are merely street vendors, not criminals.
Head of Operations and Law Enforcement Section of Central Jakarta's Public Order Agency, Jabungka Situmorang, confirmed his men used stun guns on the vendors because they refused to have their goods confiscated by the officers.
SINGGIH SOARES
