Syahril, a bird vendor, was busy feeding a group of one-month old ciblek (bar-winged prinia) birds in his small kiosk at Pramuka Market, East Jakarta, on Sunday.

Although a dozen men entered the kiosk and began carefully observing his collection of birds, Syahril kept squatting and continued to feed his birds. He said a buyer would ask him the price and details of a bird if he was serious about buying.

"Although more visitors come during weekends and holidays, I actually have more spare time because most of them are here to sightsee only," said Syahril.

Operating since 1974, Pramuka Market, which currently houses 250 kiosks, is the largest bird market in the city.

It is also known for its thriving underground trade in monkeys, owls, parrots and other exotic animals, dead and alive. Although police and administration offices are within walking distance of the market, the trade in rare and endangered animals still continues.

As bird flu cases have become a hot issue in recent years, the city administration is planning to relocate the market, which is located in the densely populated Matraman area, in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease, despite the fact no cases of bird flu have been recorded there.

The smaller Barito Bird Market in South Jakarta is also set to be relocated.

The city husbandry, fishery and maritime agency has so far revealed several places, including Cibubur in East Jakarta and Ragunan in South Jakarta, as possible relocation sites, which is planned to take place by 2010.

However, almost all vendors do not agree with the plan.

Hery, the deputy chairman of the Pramuka bird vendors' association, said all vendors at the market had given the association the full authority to represent them in negotiations with the agency.

"We have met them *the agency officials* several times. However, as of today, there is no clarity about when and where they will relocate us," Hery said.

Hery, who started his business in the early 1990s, said the vendors protested the relocation as it would cause a loss of customers and an increase in transportation costs.

"Almost all vendors have spent decades running businesses here and have built houses nearby. If the market is relocated, it would mean that would need to move to monitor our business," he said.

"Moreover, Pramuka Market already has a nationwide reputation. Relocation means we will have to start all over again."

Syahril shared a similar view, arguing that vendors needed stability as they had just seen their sales improve after dropping in response to public panic over bird flu.

"My sales revenue dropped almost 50 percent two years ago and it has taken a long time for us to get back to normal sales like today. We hope the administration will support this situation," Syahril said. (hwa)

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