'Astra should pay': Evictees

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,

Over 200 residents of Sukapura village, Semper, Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, staged a rally on Wednesday at PT Astra Honda Motor office building on Jl. Yos Sudarso, Sunter, demanding compensation for their demolished houses.

But the riot police, who had been guarding the office building since early that morning, outnumbered the protesters who insisted on meeting Astra's management. No clashes were reported, but the rally heightened traffic congestion on the busy street.

Several hysterical protesters fainted and were laid out on the street by other protesters, grabbing the attention of motorists.

The rally coordinator, Agus Maulana, claiming that the protesters were members of the Banten Big Family Development Body, said that the North Jakarta administration -- with help from thugs hired by the land owner -- evicted the 102 families from Kampung Baru area, Karang Anyar, on May 30, 2002. But the evictees were not compensated for their loss.

Astra has since built a factory on the land.

According to Agus, the administration had allowed the evictees to plant vegetables on the land in 1998, when the financial crisis hit the region.

The people later erected houses on the land.

However, the municipal administration in 2002 told the residents that the land was owned by an individual, identified as Abdul Majid, and ordered them to vacate the land, Agus said.

He admitted that the connection between the reported land owner and Astra was not clear.