City, Komnas HAM to set up team on evictions

City, Komnas HAM to set up team on evictions

P.C. Naommy, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City Governor Sutiyoso responded to the National Commission of
Human Rights' (Komnas HAM) summons on Monday to discuss the
recent string of evictions, after failing to show up last week.

Sutiyoso, in an apparent bid to avoid the press, had been
scheduled to meet Komnas HAM on Tuesday but told reporters on
Monday that the meeting would be on Wednesday. However, he in
fact showed up on Monday afternoon, to spend around 90 minutes
with the commission's representatives in Bidakara, South Jakarta.

The meeting between the governor and the commission resulted
in the establishment of a team to devise a "more humane" method
of carrying out evictions.

Solahuddin Wahid, deputy chairman of the Komnas HAM, told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the team would comprise of the
commission's members coordinated by Taheri Noor while the
administration would be coordinated by Achmad Haryadi, the city
secretary assistant for people's welfare.

"I hope the team will be able to find a much better solution,
particularly regarding how the officers treated people during the
evictions. For the long-term, the city will provide housing for
the evictees," Solahuddin said.

The evictees have demanded that the administration provide
them with temporary shelters before they can secure other places
to live. So far, only North Jakarta municipal administration has
agreed to provide land, amounting to 4.5 hectares for the
construction of low-cost apartments, a health clinic and a
school.

The central government has also provided some Rp 350 billion
(US$41.18 million) to build cheap houses for the evicted victims
and the city's poor. However, Minister of Resettlement and
Regional Infrastructure Soenarno said that to date his ministry
has been unable to find suitable land for that purpose.

The joint team's agenda will also include analyzing the
problems that arose during the evictions. It is likely that a
session on human rights will be hosted by the team for the
benefit of the public order officers who carry out the evictions.

Solahuddin also said that the governor had asked Komnas HAM to
assist him in carrying out the evictions, but he had yet to
respond, pending a plenary meeting.

"In the meeting, we will receive the input of other commission
members, regarding what we should or should not do," he said.

He added that the this did not mean that the commission
necessarily supported the evictions.

The team will also seek help from universities and non-
governmental organizations in designing cheap housing, which will
be constructed in accordance with city planning regulations.