East Cengkareng residents refuse to accept compensation money

JAKARTA (JP): Representatives of East Cengkareng subdistrict residents complained to the City Council yesterday that the amount of compensation offered by the city for the appropriation of their land is unfair.

Bachtiar Ritonga, the spokesperson for the residents, told reporters that the amounts offered by the city administration range from Rp 1,385 to Rp 25,000 per square meter.

Bachtiar said the residents are aware of the fact that they are now living on a 20-hectare plot of land owned by the state. Even thought the property does not belong to them, they are demanding a higher sum of compensation which is adequate to enable them to buy houses in other places.

"We are not against the government program but we want the city to take our plight into consideration by paying us enough compensation we can buy houses," Bachtiar said.

He said the residents were being intimidated by Cengkareng district officials and the state-owned housing company into accepting the compensation money offered.

Bachtiar claimed the officials ordered the residents to immediately take the compensation money because the city plans to demolish their houses on Dec. 22.

"How can we find new houses within two weeks in this rainy season," he said.

He added that the residents' woes worsened when the city announced that there are only 1,044 families entitled to the compensation money, while there are 1,750 families living on the land. (mas)