W. Jakarta evictees refuse to leave, want compensation<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto and Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Most of the evicted people who had been living on disputed land
\nat Kampung Baru, Cengkareng Timur, in West Jakarta, insisted that
\nthey would stay on the land and demand compensation for the
\ndestruction of their homes.<\/p>\n
Marlo Sitompul, chairman of Youth Front for the Poor (LPRM)
\nthat advocates on behalf of the people, told The Jakarta Post on
\nFriday that most families demanded the state-owned housing
\ncompany Perum Perumnas to provide adequate compensation that
\nwould at least cover the value of their houses if they were not
\nallowed to rebuild at the site.<\/p>\n
Another solution is to provide the 300 families with new house
\nfrom Perum Perumnas without a down payment but they can pay in
\ninstallment.<\/p>\n
"The negotiation process with Perum Perumnas is still ongoing.
\nSo far we have yet to find a desirable solution," Marlo said.<\/p>\n
The families were forcible thrown out after some 3,000 police
\nand city public order officers bulldozed their houses on
\nWednesday causing a clash which resulted in 25 victims being
\nhospitalized.<\/p>\n
Councillor Abdul Azis Matnur from City Council Commission A
\noverseeing legal and administrative affairs told the Post that
\nthe officials must not simply forget the newly homeless people.<\/p>\n
"It's true that the evicted people's legal standing with the
\nland is weak but the administration must also be responsible for
\nthem after the eviction," he said.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso had said earlier that the eviction would go
\non and the people he termed squatters had two choices: return to
\ntheir home villages outside of Jakarta or join the transmigration
\nprogram, a government program.<\/p>\n
Earlier, National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) vice
\nchairman Solahudin Wahid slammed the governor for his statement
\nthat the eviction was acceptable because there were no fatalities
\nand the evicted people were not his responsibility because they
\ndid not hold Jakarta ID cards.<\/p>\n
According to the head of Perum Perumnas, Didin Sutadi, the
\nproblem started in 1998 when the West Jakarta mayoralty allowed
\nunemployed people to farm on the neglected 55-hectare plot of
\nland belonging to the company.<\/p>\n
These farmers, Didin said, eventually built houses and "sold"
\nthem to other people. However, the new buyers in Kampung Baru
\nreceived what seemed to be a legal document stating that they
\nowned the land, and based on that asked the mayoralty and the
\nCity Council to delay the eviction.<\/p>\n
Residents bought the land from three heirs of the original
\nowner of the land, M. Yasin, beginning in 1998. The residents
\nreceived copies of the land titles, which were supposedly
\ncertified by the National Land Agency in 2002.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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