400 squatters evicted

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The North Jakarta Public Order Agency forcibly evicted on Monday morning about 400 squatters along the banks of the West Flood Canal in Teluk Gong, Penjaringan district, North Jakarta.

For the 12th time during the last nine months, the agency's 200 officers, who were assisted by police and military officers, demolished and burnt down some 100 temporary houses in the area soon after they arrived at about 10 a.m.

At the time, most of the residents were working. Most of the men are employed as temporary construction workers, street vendors or fishermen, while the women work as maids for families at nearby Pantai Indah Kapuk housing complex.

Some housewives and children tried to prevent their homes from being set on fire by throwing water and mud at the officials. However, their attempts were fruitless.

The officers left the area at about 1 p.m. after they had managed to demolish and burn the houses. But soon after, the residents began to rebuild their makeshift houses.

Wisnu, an activist from the Network to Combat Forced Eviction, said that the residents hoped the administration would hold a public meeting to discuss the problem. Otherwise, they would refuse to vacate the area.

Earlier, the squatters demanded the administration provide them with compensation or a proper place to live. However, the administration insisted that illegal squatters did not deserve it.

The administration demolished their illegal huts for the first time in October last year. The squatters insisted on staying although the administration has tried to drive them away since then.

The latest eviction has occurred only a week after human rights activists, including Asmara Nababan of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), demanded the city administration stop forced evictions without any legal process as it could be categorized as a serious human rights violation.

The city administration has been pursuing a forced eviction policy against street vendors, illegal squatters, pedicab drivers and other poor urban people. According to data issued by the network, the administration carried out last year 45 forced evictions, which rendered homeless approximately 35,000 people.