400 not compensated for lost land

400 not compensated for lost land

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Four hundred people from 80 families in the hamlet of Kebon Jali,
Tangerang, Banten province, have complained that they have not
been compensated for the land they lost to the expansion of
Soekarno-Hatta airport.

The residents of Selapajang village were left homeless by the
project that started late last year. They were to receive
compensation eight months ago, but say they have yet to receive
any money.

And the state-owned company that operates the airport, PT
Angkasa Pura (PAP) II, and the Tangerang municipal administration
do not appear to be taking steps to rectify the situation.

"Frankly speaking, I am awfully concerned about the fate of
those families. I personally condemn PAP and the city
administration over this case," Suwadi, a local community leader,
told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said there were originally about 310 families whose house
were bulldozed to make way for the international airport's
expansion, but only about 210 families received compensation.

The families have appealed directly to the airport operator
for their compensation, but received no concrete response. The
company only sent a representative to make a lot of empty
promises, Suwadi said.

"A representative of PT Ankasa Pura told the families to
demand compensation directly from the finance minister," he said.

He said many of the villagers who lost their property could
not buy new houses or land until they received compensation.

"The city administration -- in this case the Team of Nine
responsible for the clearance of the land -- should visit the
homeless families and resolve this problem. But until now they
have yet to show up," Suwadi said.

He called on the so-called Team of Nine, led by Tangerang
Mayor HM Thamrin and his aide, Affandi Permana, who served as
operations head, to mediate the dispute with the airport
operator.

Land clearance for the expansion project began in December
2002 with the company offering Rp 150,000 (US$18.40) in
compensation per square meter of land.

Permana could not be reached for comment on Friday. According
to one of his staff members, the mayor's assistant was in
Jakarta.

Nor was the head of Angkasa Pura II available for comment. His
spokesman, Trisno, said the company was not authorized to comment
on the issue, saying the problem was being handled by its central
office in Jakarta.

The public relations head of the central Angkasa Pura office
also could not be reached for comment.