City gears up to make more Jakartans homeless
City gears up to make more Jakartans homeless
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Just one day after the Idul Fitri holiday, when people ask each
other for forgiveness, the Jakarta administration has been
gearing up to turn more families homeless with its eviction
plans.
Thousands of families in the North Jakarta, East Jakarta and
Central Jakarta municipalities have received eviction notices
from respective municipal offices.
"We have received the third notice from East Jakarta
administration, dated Nov. 1, ordering us to leave this area
seven days after the Idul Fitri holiday," Marlo Sitompul, the
spokesperson of the Coalition of Evicted People, told The Jakarta
Post on Thursday.
Marlo, who lives in Kayuputih subdistrict, East Jakarta, is
also among those to be evicted.
Around 300 permanent and makeshift houses located around
Pulomas dam in the subdistrict will be demolished by the
municipality, under the argument that this will minimize the
impact of flooding in the rainy season.
Urban activist Azas Tigor Nainggolan told the Post that
hundreds of houses along the banks of Cipinang River in East
Jakarta would also be demolished.
"The river passes several subdistricts in the municipality.
But people living on the riverbanks claim that they have yet to
be officially notified. They only heard talk of the eviction
plans," he said.
Tigor also said that around 500 families living in Tanah Merah
and on the banks of Cakung River in Semper Timur, both in North
Jakarta, received a second eviction notice dated Nov. 20.
"In Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, around 1,000 families living on
the banks of Ciliwung River also heard talk that they would be
evicted due to the administration's planned extension of the West
Flood Canal," he said.
Another urban activist, Jukimin, said that hundreds of
families in Kebon Kosong and Utan Panjang subdistricts in
Kemayoran had received similar notices.
"Some of them have been living on land where the ownership is
unclear. Others live on the banks of Sentiong river," he said.
"These families have been worried, (they heard) they would be
evicted after Idul Fitri without knowing when it would happen,"
he added.
Prior to the holy month of Ramadhan, which ended with the
celebration of Idul Fitri on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, Governor
Sutiyoso had promised not to evict people during Ramadhan.
However, public order officers had still demolished evictees
makeshift tents in Tanjung Duren Selatan, West Jakarta, and
evicted sidewalk vendors in Pulogadung, East Jakarta and in
Mampang and Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta.
Before Ramadhan, the administration had evicted more than
2,000 families in Jembatan Besi, Cengkareng Timur, Tanjung Duren
Selatan and Tegal Alur in West Jakarta municipality. It also
destroyed Kali Jodo red-light district, stilt houses on the banks
of Muara Angke River, North Jakarta and houses on the banks of
Cipinang River, East Jakarta.
Sutiyoso has promised that the evictions, expected to cease
early next year, will bring order to the city.
Evictees have repeatedly demanded that the administration
provide them with temporary shelters before they can secure other
places to live. The central government has provided some Rp 350
billion (US$41.18 million) to build cheap houses for the evicted
victims and the city's poor.
Areas to be evicted
Municipality Subdistrict Est. no. of houses Current Status
C. Jakarta Utan Panjang 200 Eviction notice
Kebon Kosong 500 Eviction notice
E. Jakarta Kayuputih 300 Eviction notice
S. Cipinang Besar n/a -
N. Jakarta Rawabadak 200 Eviction notice
Semper Timur 300 Eviction notice
S. Jakarta Bukitduri 1,000 -
Source: Urban activists