Activists demand that rights body acts soon

Activists demand that rights body acts soon

Dewi Santoso and M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta

The city administration's policy on transportation development,
such as the construction of new elevated roads in 2003 has
victimized the urban poor, a group of activists concluded in
their year-end evaluation, revealed on Friday.

The Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) chairman Azas Tigor
Nainggolan said that the development had led to the eviction of
11,400 families, or more than 40,000 people, in 2003 alone.

The figure is an increase from 36,000 people evicted in 2002.

Tigor added that last year, approximately 15,000 sidewalk
vendors and 135 becak (three-wheeled pedicab) drivers had lost
their jobs due to evictions. The data was collected by the
Coalition of Citizens for Jakarta Transportation (Kawat), where
Fakta is a member, and Swisscontact.

He claimed that Fakta and the evictees had repeatedly demanded
the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) take action
to prevent the evictions from occurring.

"But thus far, the Komnas HAM has not taken any action nor
protected the evictees," he said, adding that this apparent
disregard of the issue would only lead to more evictions.

Earlier, the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) predicted that at
least 8,500 families, or around 47,500 people, would likely
become homeless this year due to evictions.

Fakta demanded the city administration draft a policy that
would defend the rights of the poor.

"The government can't just offer low-cost apartments to
evictees. It won't mean anything if the relocation areas are far
from their original residences," Tigor said.

What the people needed, he explained, was the assurance and
protection of their rights, to live in proper houses and to have
jobs -- a policy would secure those rights.

The Central Jakarta District Court staged on Thursday the
first hearing of a legal action filed by Fakta against the Komnas
HAM, for allegedly neglecting its duty to take action against the
evictions.

Presiding judge Andriani Nurdin asked lawyers of both
plaintiff and defendant to settle the case amicably, and gave
both parties one week to find a credible third party to act as
mediator. However, both parties refused.

"What we want is for Komnas HAM to apologize for the plight of
the evictees... A simple press conference would do," Tigor said.