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Tanah Abang market authorities deny accusations of illegal levies
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Vendors wait for customers at Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta on April 9. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
T
he Police and Tanah Abang Block B Market management have confirmed that no illegal levies were charged at the market in Central Jakarta, despite a viral video appearing to show such activities taking place
In the video, men wearing black uniforms are seen arguing with a Tanah Abang Block B vendor named Tanto on Friday.
The captions in the video, which has been uploaded to multiple social media accounts, say the men claimed to be security officers and wanted to extort Tanto.
One of the security officers was heard saying “rent fee” during the heated argument, and the latter insisted there was no extra rent fee for doing business there.
Tanah Abang Police chief Adj. Comr. Lukman Cahyono said on Monday that prior to the incident, the market security officers were patrolling the second floor and considered Tanto to have violated the regulations.
“They found that the vendor had put [his merchandise] outside of his kiosk area allowed by the market management,” Lukman said as reported by kompas.com.
He said the police had set up a mediation with the market management, the security officers and the store owner, in which the latter had confessed that some of his wares had been put outside the area allowed by the management.
Tanah Abang Block B general manager Bevi Linawati said the “rent fee” that the security officers had mentioned in the video had been misinterpreted.
“The recording was only partial, so it seems like [the officers want to charge] an illegal levy,” Bevi said.
She said the management had reminded the vendors to keep their wares orderly, and even gave a 50-centimeter leeway for vendors whose wares were placed outside their kiosks. (ami)
