Chaidir Anwar Tanjung/BI & LM, Pekanbaru – A public transport strike in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, northwest Sumatra, has clogged main roads and left passengers stranded. Hundreds of angkot (minibus) drivers parked their vehicles around and in front of the Provincial Legislative Council building and demanded the government put an end to an extortion racket comprised of local policemen and a group of thugs.

Unable to bear the burden of paying off the police and thugs any longer, hundreds of striking angkot drivers gathered at the Provincial Legislative Council from around 1pm Wednesday.

One angkot driver, Slamet Riady (27), said members of the Serma Peri police station carried out the extortion. Slamet claimed that every morning the policemen gathered at a security post next to a market and demanded Rp 7500 (US$ 0.80) each time the angkot passed through the area.

"If we refused to pay they stopped us from collecting passengers. Also, we would be slapped with traffic tickets for all kinds of reasons. We just can't handle seeing the policemen's' behavior. That is why we have called a strike action and are protesting here" he told Detik on the sidelines of the demonstration.

The drivers also have to face local thugs operating around the Cempaka street intersection which the police have done nothing to stop. According to Selamat, the thugs demand money or force the drivers to buy drinks from them. "Just imagine, drinks at a stall cost about Rp 500 (US 5c). But these thugs are demanding Rp 1500 per drink. If we add it up, we have to pay Rp 15,000 everyday", he said.