Dormitory girls living in fear
From Media Indonesia
As girls staying at the Asrama Putri Purbawisesa dormitory on Jl. Senopati in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, we are being held in terror not knowing where to turn for help. We have been fearful for quite some time because of an ongoing fight for the 5000-square-meter plot of land on which our dormitory building stands between the Yayasan Perlindungan Purbawisesa foundation and a dormitory occupant who claims to hold the deed (sertifikat) to the land.
The dispute is now being examined at the South Jakarta district court.
We don't know how the said occupant came to have the deed which apparently was issued by the National Land Board (BPN).
However, while the court has not meted out a judgment on the case yet, the said occupant and certain other people (who we believe are vandals and servicemen) have been intimidating and terrorizing us. Prior to the legal fight we have lived in peace at the dormitory for 15 years.
We believe these people intend to frighten us and leave the dormitory vacant.
And for a year now these people have made their quarters on the dormitory premises and this for sure has heightened our anxiety.
They continue to harass us by acts such as breaking the roof, making holes in the wall and cutting the power lines, not forgetting to threaten us into not protesting or fighting.
One of the girls who dared protest the ransacking of her room was mistreated until several of her teeth fell out, her face was bruised and her hair pulled out. We obtained a physician's visum- et-repertum and with the medical record in hand we reported her plight to the police on April 8, 1994. We also brought our case to the National Commission on Human Rights. But so far our complaint has not brought any response.
We had asked the Yayasan Perlindungan Purbawisesa and the proper authority at the Ministry of Social Services for help but to no avail.
The LBH legal aid foundation nearest to us advised us to file our complaint with the police which we did a number of times, but these failed too to elicit a response.
The latest piece of news that came to us was that a representative of a PT Dana Yasa business firm had approached the occupant claiming to have the land deed to negotiate a sale of the land to them.
We are writing for help and to express our bewilderment how certain servicemen could back up acts that harm the public.
We appeal for protection from the authorities.
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