Bekasi residents complain about expulsion threat
Bekasi residents complain about expulsion threat
JAKARTA (JP): Seven people representing 35 families from the
Segara Makmur village, Bekasi, went to the House of
Representatives yesterday to seek help after being threatened
with expulsion from their land, which is the proposed site of a
mall development.
Supirto, spokesman for the group, said that they had decided
to seek help because village officials and the local district
military office had told them to move out as soon as possible.
"The developer has agreed to provide compensation amounting to
Rp 300,000 (US$136.36) per family, and another plot of land to
resettle us, but we turned down the offer because the land
provided by the developer is a pond with a depth of 2 meters," he
said.
"The compensation does not include 150 hectare of our farm
land, on which our livelihood relies," he said.
Vast funds are needed to reclaim the land and, moreover, its
status is unclear, Supirto said, adding that they are afraid they
will be evicted again once they move there.
He reiterated that the 35 families currently living in the
area insist on not moving away.
In response to the complaint, Popo Harun of the Indonesian
Democratic Faction, hailed the residents' decision not to abide
by the eviction order from the developer.
He urged them not to accept the compensation and, if forced
to, they should ask for a better land, which is ready for
resettlement. "Don't accept the pond for relocation. Tell
officers from both the village and district military offices that
members of the House of Representatives will check the area," he
said.
Through the villagers, members of the faction sent letters to
the village heads and district military officers that they will
go there tomorrow to inspect the disputed lands.
The faction also asked representatives of the developer to be
present at the site during the visit to help settle the problem.
Farmers
Farmers at Teluk Pucung, also in Bekasi, filed a complaint
with the National Commission on Human Rights on Wednesday over
what they claim is unfair compensation for their land.
Five farmers, representing about 300 farmers, told member of
the commission Djoko Soegianto that the Bekasi regency has set
the compensation rate at Rp 15 (US$0.006) per square-meter for
their land.
"In 1983 head of the socio-political office from Bekasi
prohibited us from working on that land again and told us that
the regency will give Rp 150,000 per hectare in compensation," A.
Mutohir, leader of the farmers, told the commission.
Mutohir said the land was then sold by certain officials to
real estate companies, as well as government officials, with a
higher price and that currently the price of land in the area is
Rp 100,000 per square-meter.
"Now our paddy fields have turned into a housing complex," he
said.
The farmer explained that all the farmers have been working
since 1930 on one hundred hectares of land, which was, then,
owned by a Dutch landlord.
He said in 1930 a Dutch landlord gave an opportunity to
farmers to work about 250 hectares of paddy fields and in 1954
the Indonesian government, after acquiring it, decided to let
farmers work on the land.
"In 1954 a letter from the central government stated that the
Bekasi regent should supervise the use of the land to make sure
that it will only be used for the benefit of the people," Mutohir
said.
However, the problem began in 1983, when certain officials
from the Bekasi regency announced that all farmers must leave the
paddy fields, and paid them compensation without any
negotiations.
It is not clear, Mutohir said, whether or not those officials
sold the land and gave the money to the Bekasi revenue office.
"We don't want to see those people selling government-owned
land and take the money for themselves because in Bekasi there
are thousands hectares of land which were owned by Dutch
landlords," he said.
Mutohir also asked the commission to help the farmers hold a
meeting with Bekasi authorities to settle this problem.
"We have tried to arrange a meeting with the Bekasi regent,
but always fail, therefore I ask the commission to help us," he
said.
He added that he visited the commission on Jan. 23 and asked
the same thing but up until now there has been no positive answer
from the regency.
Djoko told the farmers that this time the commission would try
harder to ask the regent to hold a meeting with the farmers.
(imn/yns/29/hhr)