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