Bulldozers move in, 900 families homeless

Bulldozers move in, 900 families homeless

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Close to 900 families were left homeless on Wednesday after the
city administration bulldozed their makeshift houses on a plot of
land owned by state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api
Indonesia (KAI) in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

Three bulldozers and 935 officers from the public order agency
and city police were deployed to destroy the houses, which were
mostly occupied by sex workers, beggars, street singers and
vendors.

The eviction, which began at 7 a.m., proceeded smoothly, as
there was no opposition from the squatters. Many of them said
they had received letters from the municipality informing them of
the eviction plan.

Many squatters pulled down their own houses to save building
materials like plywood and plastic sheeting, but many others
stood by while their houses were destroyed by bulldozers.

Some of the squatters were still sleeping when the eviction
began.

"I was still asleep when a public order officer knocked on the
door. Then, I rushed to collect my belongings," said Sarmini, 23,
one of the squatters.

The area was also known as a poor man's red-light district
where dozens of sex workers offered their services for low fees.
Cafes and karaoke venues stayed open all night, with authorities
taking no action against their activities until Wednesday.

The squatters had a variety of plans for what to do after
their eviction.

But Diki, 25, a street vendor from Indramayu regency in West
Jakarta, said he and his wife would take each day as it came.

"We will erect a tent for sleeping in at night and knock it
down in the morning," the father of one said. Others said they
would rent rooms or return to their hometowns.

Deputy Mayor Dadang Efendi said the administration had
allocated Rp 500,000 (US$55.56) for each of the 885 families
whose houses were demolished.

He said that the money could be collected from the Kebon
Kacang and Kebon Melati subdistrict offices from Wednesday
evening onward.

Many squatters, however, did not know that the administration
had set aside the funds for them.

Dadang said the eviction was financed by PT KAI. According to
him, security officers involved in the eviction would receive Rp
50,000 each.

According to Dadang, around 100 public order officers would
guard the area, known as Bongkaran, for four days to prevent
squatters from rebuilding their homes.