Dozens of Food Stalls in Solo Still Sell Dog Meat: Activists

TheIndonesia.id - Activists said dozens of food stalls in Solo, Central Java, continue to sell dog meat, and they’re asking local authorities to act firmly and put an end to dog meat trade.

Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) is asking the Surakarta (formal name of Solo) government to review the regulation related to dog meat trade as the commodity can still be easily found among food sellers across the city.

“Our latest data in 2020 shows that 85 stalls still sold dog meat,” DMFI Solo’s coordinator and representative Mustika said on Monday, April 25, as reported by Antara.

The coalition is asking Surakarta mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka to fulfill his promise and issue a regulation on dog meat trade.

“A couple of months ago, Pak Gibran said [he] would review, but up to this day, there hasn’t been a follow-up,” Mustika explained, adding that a concrete action in form of a written and official regulation is immediately necessary since dog meat trade in Solo is becoming more rampant.

Mustika also revealed that dog meat sold by sellers in Solo comes from West Java, and the transport is done two to three times a week.

“For every delivery, there are 100 to 200 dogs transported,” she said.

According to DMFI, there have been ten regions in Central Java and two regencies in East Java that has issued ban on dog trade meat.

In Central Java, those areas include Karanganyar regency, Sukoharjo regency, Salatiga municipality, Semarang municipality, Semarang regency, Blora regency, Brebes regency, Purbalingga regency, and Kabupaten Magelang regency.

Antara also reported Mayor Raka, who is also the son of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and his administration have yet to formulate and decide on a solution for sellers if dog meat is banned in Solo.