Two beggars collect Rp25 million after a two-week stay in Jakarta

Jakarta authorities on Tuesday sent two street beggars, who were earlier caught with a cash collection of Rp25.4 million (RM6846.95), back to their hometown of Subang in West Java.

The two who arrived in the Indonesian capital in November, had managed to collect up to Rp25 million from begging on the streets in just two weeks, English daily The Jakarta Globe, reported on Wednesday.

After being caught under the Pancoran overpass in South Jakarta on Nov 26, Jakarta Social Affairs officials who searched their belongings, found a total of Rp25,448,600 in several plastic bags in their possession.

The Jakarta Administration plans to get tough with the regulations to rid Jakarta of panhandlers and street children.

Under a 2007 bylaw on public order, it is illegal to give money to beggars, buskers, street children or itinerants.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said social sanctions were now being discussed in the Criminal Code, and they were proposing to make offenders clean the toilets in bus terminals.

He said people who gave money to beggars and buskers were hampering the city administration's programme to solve the problem.

Social activists have however criticised the move being taken by the authorities in addressing the issue, saying that what needed to be addressed now was unemployment and the government should instead figure out how to provide the beggars with jobs.