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)