‘Be firm on thugs’: Indonesia to tackle protection rackets as investments threatened

Members of Indonesian mass organisation Grib, widely alleged to be a protection racket, put up a banner that says the rubber processing plant behind them has been shut down. - DINAMIKAKALTENG.COM

JAKARTA: A grainy photo shows a 3m-wide banner hanging at the entrance of a rubber processing factory in Central Kalimantan province in Indonesia. The banner reads: “This plant’s operations have been shut down by Grib Jaya Kalteng.”

Grib, short for Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia Bersatu, is one of the country’s many organisasi kemasyarakatan (ormas) or community groups said to be engaging in extortion and protection rackets, at the expense of business.