Evicted families retreat to forests and their boats<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A day after watching their stilt-houses demolished by North
\nJakarta public order officers, most Muara Angke fishermen
\nfamilies are still taking refuge at the protected forest across
\nfrom their former homes on Thursday, having no idea where else
\nthey can go.<\/p>\n
Most of them have constructed crude shelters built from planks
\non the edge of the forest while others have set up shelters on
\nthe side of the road bordering the adjacent Pluit Karang housing
\ncomplex and the land they had previously occupied.<\/p>\n
Six members of Nurdin's family, who erected simple shelters on
\nthe roadside, said that the housing complex management had
\nallowed them to stay there until Saturday.<\/p>\n
"After that? Well, we don't know yet," said Desi, the daughter
\nof Nurdin who has skipped her classes at school three days
\nrunning.<\/p>\n
But it is not just students that have postponed their
\nactivities. The fishermen stayed ashore for around two weeks
\nprior to the evictions and right up until they were forcibly
\nevicted they were too distressed to go fishing.<\/p>\n
Warsiti -- still nursing six-month-old Wahyudin -- was worried
\nabout her baby's health, she can do little to protect him from
\nthe scorching heat and the onset of the rainy season is imminent.<\/p>\n
The families said that for the most part they had yet to
\nreceive any assistance. Only a few families had been the
\nrecipients of five tents from some concerned university students.<\/p>\n
A few kilometers away, other evicted families had started to
\nmark-out a small coastal milkfish pond with bamboo poles in order
\nto erect new stilt-houses.<\/p>\n
One family had even commenced the construction of a stilt-
\nhouse at an ambitious 16-square-meters.<\/p>\n
Ramidi, one of the fishermen, said that the families were all
\nracing to get a spot on the pond. He did not know how many
\nfamilies hoped to live on the pond, nor who owned the pond.<\/p>\n
North Jakarta municipality administration had earlier notified
\nthe fishermen that the eviction process was an attempt to clean-
\nup the river.<\/p>\n
Separately, the East Jakarta municipality administration has
\nbegun demolishing around 100 houses along the banks of Cipinang
\nriver.<\/p>\n
Paimin Napitupulu, the municipality administration assistant
\nof economic and development affairs, said that there were 400
\nhouses set to be demolished, but the owners of more than 200
\nhouses had already started demolishing them three days ago after
\nreceiving Rp 250,000 (US$30) for each house.<\/p>\n
The demolitions are part of the municipality's project to
\nclean-up and widen the river. The project should have been
\ncarried out years ago, but the 1997 economic crisis in the
\ncountry stalled it, he added.<\/p>\n
In 1994, the municipality paid compensation to land owners
\nalong the river.<\/p>\n
Endang, 45, who had previously given up his backyard as part
\nof the project, said he did not oppose the plan as long as the
\ndemolitions did not exceed the border agreed upon in talks in
\n1994.<\/p>\n
Across from Endang's house is a luxurious house belonging to a
\nthe family of a businessman. The family had not avoided
\nsacrificing at least some of their land. They had given up half
\nof their tennis court and half of their big fish pond.<\/p>\n
About 700 security officers from the municipality public order
\nagency and the East Jakarta Police were seen trying to knock down
\nthe high barriers of luxurious houses along the riverbank which
\nwere too close to the river. Anything built within 12-meters from
\nthe edge of the river is to be demolished.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/evicted-families-retreat-to-forests-and-their-boats-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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