200 evicted fishermen visit rights body

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives from 200 fishing families who are being forced out of their homes in East Ancol, North Jakarta, brought their case to the National Commission on Human Rights on Friday to seek support for their battle against the mayoralty.

The fishermen's spokesman Tohir said they had been pushed out of the area due to a planned development of water sports facilities.

"We are being forced to leave an area which we've been living in for many years, because all of a sudden it's being used as a facility for rich people," Tohir said.

He said the fishermen refused the mayoralty's offer to relocate them to the Marunda area, also in North Jakarta, along with compensation of between Rp 3 million (US$303) and 5 million each.

He said in the new area, the fishermen could no longer fish and would lose their traditional occupation.

The fishermen and their families have been forcibly evicted three times -- in 1985, 1988 and 1992 -- but have, on each occasion, promptly returned to the area which they have occupied since 1958, he said.

In a bid to force the fishermen to accept the relocation, the Ancol subdistrict office has now refused to issue the fishermen and their families with identification cards.

The subdistrict has also forbidden the fishermen to unite themselves in an official neighborhood community like other communities.

Without identification cards the fishermen are technically considered "illegal residents" and are thus not expected to have access to public utilities such as electricity, telephone and clean water. (jun/01)