Authorities force squatters from Benhil area

Authorities force squatters from Benhil area

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of workers and members of the civil
defense corps, backed by military and police officers, demolished
houses at the Bendungan Hilir fire site, Central Jakarta, after
negotiations over land compensation collapsed.

The officers, equipped with rattan sticks, riot shields, tear
gas and automatic riffles, were on alert in areas surrounding the
fire site when workers and members of the civil defense corps
demolished the houses.

Police also blocked roads to and from the area, causing heavy
traffic jams on other main streets as far as Jl. Sudirman, Jl.
M.H. Thamrin and the Semanggi cloverleaf, all in Central Jakarta.
The congestion lasted until 3 p.m.

"Hundreds of officers came to the location early in the
morning and threw teargas at the residents," Prasman, the chief
of the RT 04 community unit, said as quoted by Antara.

Prasman and Muhammad Zen, another area resident, said some of
the residents initially tried to prevent the demolition by
throwing stones at the workers and officers, but they left the
area when the officers released teargas.

Antara quoted a police officer as saying that police had to
use teargas in order to control the residents, who scuffled with
police and military officers on Tuesday when they tried to
demolish the houses.

"This is total brutality," cried 24-year-old Mrs. Zubaidah,
another area resident, shedding tears as she transported her
belongings to a safer place.

Zubaidah said that most of the residents, who were categorized
by the government as squatters, were still preparing for the
morning prayer or were sleeping at 4:30 a.m. when the workers
began to pull down the walls, shatter windows and expel the
occupants from their dwellings.

Some of the children, awakened by the noise, cried and called
out for their parents, who were hastily moving sofas, mattresses,
cupboards, electronic goods and documents from their homes.

The city administration has repeatedly warned the area
residents not to rebuild houses in the 1.5-hectare area, which
was ravaged by fire on Sept. 9, on the grounds that it will be
used for the development of low-cost apartments for them.

The city administration has agreed to provide a Rp 400,000
(US$190) allowance per family to help the residents to rent
temporary housing pending the completion of the apartments.

The squatters, however, opposed the government plan to build
apartments and refused the amount offered in compensation for
their homes, asking instead that the amount be increased from Rp
235,000 to Rp 1 million per square meter.

Sutaryo, the squatter's leader, has said that the residents
prefer to use the compensation to buy other houses in Jakarta
suburbs or to move to the provinces.

Infants

Mohammad Zen said yesterday that two infants were treated in a
public hospital for respiratory problems allegedly caused by
inhaling teargas.

Capt. Syaiful, the chief of the Operation Unit of the On the
Alert City Police Squad told The Jakarta Post that one of the
police officers, who was identified as First Sergeant Muchlis,
was also injured.

"He was hit by stones thrown by unidentified people at the
site and had at least three stitches to his head," Syaiful said.

In protest of the demolition, around 150 of the area
residents, mostly housewives, teenagers and children, marched to
the House of Representatives (DPR) in the Senayan area yesterday,
waving national flags and banging on expensive cars they
encountered on the way.

"Our houses were demolished, our houses were demolished,"
cried the protesters.

Four representatives of the residents were received by
legislator Syamsul Mu'arif from the Golkar faction.

The residents demanded that the House condemn the demolition,
saying that the government could pay the Rp 1 million per meter
compensation they are requesting.

Syamsul promised that Golkar would pass on their complaints to
the city administration, which is handling the case.

Police said that more than 10 squatters had been questioned in
connection with the demolition problems. (09/bsr/yns/has)