300 homes demolished

300 homes demolished

JAKARTA (JP): Bogor authorities have demolished 300 houses
built without permits on a 26-hectare plot belonging to the
Ministry of Health, despite residents protest.

Antara reported Saturday that a resident put a baby in front
of a bulldozer in efforts to stop the demolition carried out by
the Operasi Wibawa Praja team.

Fauzi Si'in, the demolition team leader, said that the
demolition was the final step after three written warnings had
been ignored by the squatters.

Many house owners said they had the right to use the land they
bought from a foundation, whose office was located on Jl.
Pajajaran, Bogor. "We spent Rp 500,000 for each 500-square meter
plot," a resident said.

The squatters admitted, however, that they did not have any
legal ownership documents. The foundation had broken its promise
in arranging documents for them, they said.

The demolition started at 4:00 a.m. and ended at noon when all
buildings were leveled to the ground. (sur)