Squatters complain about demolition plan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Around 200 people registered a complaint with
\nthe House of Representatives yesterday about the city
\nadministration's plan to demolish their shanties along the Opak
\nriver bank in North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
A 40-member delegation, claiming to represent 2,000 squatters,
\nwere received by Indonesian Democratic Party faction member
\nSoetardjo Soeryoguritno.<\/p>\n
The people told Soetardjo that they were not ready to leave
\nthe area because they had only received the order to leave on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
"The letter only gave us three days to move," Wahyudin, the
\nsquatters' spokesman, claimed. He said the city council had
\nthreatened to demolish their houses by force after the deadline
\nexpires.<\/p>\n
Wahyudin said the authorities had not even consulted them
\nbefore the threat. "All we received was a letter stating that we
\nhad violated a regulation," he said.<\/p>\n
The sudden instruction, he said, put pressure on the squatters
\nbecause they did not know where to go. "We have no money to
\nmove," he said.<\/p>\n
Another delegate, Mamat, said that the squatters understand
\nthey don't deserve compensation because it is not their land.<\/p>\n
Mamat added that the authorities should have consulted them
\nabout the policy because they have lived in the area for up to 20
\nyears and have been provided with identity cards by the district
\noffice.<\/p>\n
He said hundreds of squatters who lived along the nearby
\nCiliwung river banks received compensation from the city before
\nbeing forced from the area.<\/p>\n
Legislator Soetardjo told the delegates, who are mostly low
\npaid workers and small traders, that the House will request the
\nlocal city administration and the National Land Affairs Agency
\npostpone the demolition until they consult with the squatters.<\/p>\n
An official of the North Jakarta city administration contacted
\nby The Jakarta Post yesterday said that his office had sent the
\npeople several warnings to leave.<\/p>\n
"The last letter we sent to them was early this month," the
\nofficial, who preferred to remain anonymous, said.<\/p>\n
The letter, he said, contained evidence of the squatters
\nviolating city regulations on the environment.<\/p>\n
The city administration then asked them to leave the area or
\nhave their homes destroyed.<\/p>\n
The city administration announced earlier that it will
\ngradually demolish all shanties along river banks as part of its
\nriver cleaning program.(03)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/squatters-complain-about-demolition-plan-1447893297",
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