Council destroys homes mistaken for brothels

JAKARTA (JP): Five people representing six families of the Kamal Barat subdistrict, Kalideres in West Jakarta filed a complaint with city council yesterday over this week's demolition of their houses.

They told councillors that the West Jakarta mayor's security- and-order officers had mistaken their homes as part of the brothels in the area, which were their actual target.

They asked the councilors to help them seek compensation from the mayoralty.

Spokesman for the protesters, Agus Kusnadi, told reporters yesterday that the West Jakarta mayoralty had previously assured them that their houses would be spared because the buildings were not among the houses used as brothels.

"But they broke their promise and made accusations that our houses were used as brothels," he said. "We use the houses to live in, not for prostitution."

Agus added that the residents demanded the mayoralty rebuild the houses because they demolished them on false accusations.

The protesters' houses are part of 11 houses that the mayoralty's security and order officers tore down on Monday, on suspicion that the buildings were illegal and used as brothels.

Agus explained that only six houses were used as brothels but the owners had abandoned them when the mayoralty threatened to demolish them a month ago.

"We did not leave because we are not involved in prostitution. Instead, we upgraded our houses," Agus said.

Mayoralty officials said they had to demolish the houses because they were not used as residences, as stated when applications for building permits from the government were sought.

It claimed that the residents changed the function of their buildings without official permits, as required by the local administration's regulation.

Agus said that, except for the six houses, the area is well- known as an area of prostitution. Prostitutes often seek refuge in the houses when the authorities raid the prostitution complex nearby, he added.

Another protester, Mariama, said she had just bought, and was living in, one of the former brothels one month ago and she received a guarantee from mayoralty officials that her house would not be demolished.

"But they have done it, and where should I live now?," she said, adding that she decided to buy the house for Rp 60 million after she got the guarantee.

M. Aman, chairman of City Council's Commission A, which oversees government affairs, told the residents to write to the governor or the mayor to get new permits to rebuild their houses.

"There's nothing else the commission can do but encourage you to get new permits to rebuild your houses. In fact, we had tried to postpone the demolition," Aman said.

He said it is important to get the new permits because it will guarantee the mayoralty will not demolish the houses in the future.(yns)