Jakarta Expels Beggars, Prostitutes, and Silver People from the City

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The Jakarta government has been expelling the "Needer of Social Welfare Services" to their hometowns. Among them are homeless people, beggars, silver people, and prostitutes.

Silver people (manusia perak) is a term to describe people who paint their bodies with silver paint and then beg in the streets.

The Head of Social Office in DKI Jakarta, Premi Lasari, said her office used to send them home every three or four months.

The government usually sends hundreds of needy people at one go instead of one by one.

"Back then it was around 200-ish people at most, maybe 100 to 200-ish," said Premi Lasari at the Town Hall of DKI Jakarta.

She explained that those people were caught by the Satpol PP troops. Satpol PP (Pamong Praja Police Unit) has the duty to enforce the regional laws in Indonesia, among their duties.

The Jakarta government then sends them to a temporary social shelter before taking further action, including sending them back to their original towns.

Cart People

Previously, Jakarta caught 464 people in the category "Needer of Social Welfare Services" during and before the Ramadan month.

The Head of Satpol PP, Arifin, said in February that those who wanted to Jakarta had to have living places first.

"People are not forbidden to come to Jakarta, but when that person is in Jakarta, then first we hope they have proper living places," said Arifin last February.

The "cart people" (manusia gerobak) were among those who were caught. Cart people is the term for people from low economic backgrounds who sleep in their carts. They usually come to Jakarta to beg and bring their kids along. 

"If it's cart humans, sleeping everywhere, on the street, then that makes Jakarta untidy, disorderly, making it slummy," Arifin explained.

Winda Nelfira contributed to this report.