Bendungan Hilir demolition turns into riot
JAKARTA (JP): Members of civil defense corps and police officers armed with riot shields and rattan sticks scuffled with more than 1,000 throwing stones residents of the Bendungan Hilir subdistrict in Central Jakarta following a dispute over land eviction yesterday.
"Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar (God is great, God is great)," yelled the residents as they were blocking the entrances of their three hectare area with cupboards and house pillars.
Failing to expel the residents and angered by the stone throwing, officials began chasing and beating the protesters.
"We felt bad about the incident but have had to call on the residents to give way to developers. It's for their own sake," said Mora Tua Simamora, the Central Jakarta Deputy-Mayor.
Simamora said the government had planned to develop and subsidize a low cost apartment building following a fire that destroyed the slum area on Sept. 9.
Three residents who were injured in the scuffle were carried to a hospital and had their injured heads stitched.
"When I grow up, I am going to take revenge," groaned a 15- year-old Andi Supandi, a student of a high school in Kebun Jeruk area, West Jakarta, referring to two officials who hit his head with steel rods.
Another victim, Jarot, has 20 stitches in his head. "We were beaten in the subdistrict office after being grabbed in the scuffle," he said, referring to Bendungan Hilir subdistrict office next door to the area.
Compensation
The Central Jakarta administration has repeatedly told 465 families living on the old fire site in the subdistrict to take the compensation offered by the government or face demolition.
Simamora added that the government will help provide Rp 400,000 (US$190) to rent a house for a year for each of the residents pending the completion of the apartments.
The residents hoisted national flags and banners of the ruling party Golkar.
"We are supporters of Golkar. We cannot understand this kind of incident. This is a state governed by law, isn't it? Why don't they try to solve the problem before the court?" said Muhammad Mulyadi, a leader of the protesters.
Mulyadi said that the residents earlier sent an eight member delegate to discuss the problem with the government, which turned out to be a failure.
The land clearance committee offered the fire victims compensation of Rp 235,000 ($107) per square meter of land, far below the Rp 1 million asked by the land owners.
After holding a one hour meeting with other officials in Tanah Abang district, Simamora said yesterday that the government will study the problem thoroughly.
He declined to give details about his next step, however, saying that the residents will be able to pay for their apartments in installments over 15 and 20 years.
Ratnawati, Andi's mother, told The Jakarta Post that Rp 400,000 is too little for renting a house, adding that the residents doubted whether they could afford the so-called low cost apartments.(09)