300 evicted Kedoya families refuse to leave
300 evicted Kedoya families refuse to leave
JAKARTA (JP): Approximately 300 families squatting on the banks of the Angke river in Kedoya, West Jakarta, are refusing to leave the site without adequate compensation from the authorities.
According to a city official the families have been offered up to Rp 300,000 each to leave their plywood shanties built close to the river and due for destruction under the government's "clean river" program.
Residents said that since the evictions began in November, the authorities have bulldozed and burned the rebuilt shanties twice.
"We will remain here no matter how many times they try to chase us out by destroying our shanties," resident Emon Chaniago told The Jakarta Post. He added that he and his fellow squatters do not have anywhere to move to.
The families have demanded fair compensation, claiming that they have lived on the site for more than 10 years and have legitimate Jakarta identity cards.
The residents have brought the matter to the National Commission on Human Rights and to the city legislative council several times.
The authorities finally agreed to give them some "pocket money", ranging from Rp 50,000 ($22.5) to Rp 100,000. The residents regard the money as nothing compared to their grievances and the need to find another place to live.
"Some people have accepted the money because they were intimidated by the security officers," Masa Tarigan, another residents said. There were originally 1,000 families on the site
Tarigan also said that the city legislature's statement that the West Jakarta mayor has settled the matter with the residents is totally wrong.
"We never agreed to this treatment or to the compensation offered," he said.
While most of the people have finally accepted the money and left the area, the remaining 300 families in North Kedoya have insisted on staying even after they were offered Rp 300,000 by the city administration, he said.
The evicted Kedoya residents, who are mostly low-paid construction laborers and public transportation drivers, have reportedly stayed with their relatives or rented houses in Tangerang and Bekasi.
"They still come to Jakarta to do their jobs," Marbun, another resident said.
Solutions
The two alternative solutions -- living in a low-cost apartment or resettlement program -- offered by the authorities are unrealistic, he said.
He said the squatters cannot afford to pay the price of an apartment and they are totally unfamiliar with agricultural work in the proposed resettlement areas.
An assistant to the West Jakarta mayor, Solichin, told the Post yesterday that the city administration has no more money to pay the squatters. "We have tried to give them some money even though we are not obliged to and it is not in our budget."
He said the 300 families could be tenants or house owners who have received compensation though claiming they have not.
More than 400 families and thousands of other river bank squatters elsewhere on the river are next in line for eviction, Solichin said. (03)