Bias cited on demolition of villas

BOGOR (JP): The local administration's policy to demolish illegally built villas has been smeared as "discriminative" because buildings belonging to people with powerful connections have always been spared, Antara reported yesterday.

Officials usually tear down illegal villas belonging to people they believe do not have the "power to create problems" while powerful people's buildings remain untouched, the report said.

"It has been a show of discrimination on the part of the government because the operation targets only illegal villas and buildings belonging to common people," said a resident of Puncak, whose home is surrounded by wealthy Jakartans' cozy villas.

The Bogor regency government plans to resume an operation aimed at tearing down illegal villas in the mountain resort of Puncak, which is popular among Jakartans.

Officials have said at least 285 buildings will be demolished in the upcoming operation but they are keeping the date secret.

Puncak residents say most villas in the area are owned by government officials and businesspeople who live in Jakarta and that few have the necessary building permits.

Puncak, which includes parts of three regencies, Bogor, Sukabumi and Cianjur, has been designated a water catchment area and building has been tightly supervised there since the 1980s.

"A new crackdown operation is only a matter of time," said regency administration spokesman Ibrahim Abubakar.

The last operation took place in October, when officials tore down six posh villas in Cisarua district. Over the past two years, 123 illegal villas have been dismantled.

Villas owners have been notified about the plan and given the chance to dismantle the buildings themselves, Ibrahim said. (pan)