Evicted squatters move to riverbanks

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Hundreds of squatters evicted from a three-hectare land owned by PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI) in Tanah Abang district, Central Jakarta have set up tents along the banks of West Flood Canal.

Many evictees said they were forced to stay on the riverbank because they had no other place to live. Others said they would rent rooms close to Tanah Abang market where they worked.

Maman, 40, one of the evictees, said he would erect a temporary shelter on the riverbank. "I don't have money to rent a room. I hope I will be allowed to erect a tent here," Maman, a hot coffee vendor, said on Thursday.

He claimed that he was not entitled to the Rp 500,000 (US$55.60) compensation from the administration because he was not registered as a squatter in the area, also known as a red light district.

Central Jakarta deputy mayor Dadang Efendi said each of the 885 families evicted on Wednesday would receive Rp 500,000 compensation from the administration. But many of the evictees did not know their rights.

Dadang confirmed that only registered squatters received such compensation.

According to Maman, he lived alone in Jakarta because his family lived in his hometown in Indramayu, West Java.

"I need to stay here to earn a living. I have been vending hot coffee in Tanah Abang market for over five years," said the man, who has two children still studying in elementary school.

Meanwhile, PT KAI said that it planned to build warehouses on the land, which was cleared from the squatters. Workers began fencing the land with zinc plates to prevent the squatters from returning..

Spokesman of PT KAI for Greater Jakarta Ahmad Sujadi said the company would also construct the first stage of double-track railways, connecting Tanah Abang to Serpong in Tangerang.

Currently, the Serpong-Tanah Abang route is only served by a single track railway.

Sujadi said his company cooperated with private company PT Bertono Yudha Kencana to construct warehouses.

Sujadi said PT KAI had to expand its businesses to other sectors because it needed money for the construction of the warehouses.

"To earn profit, we cannot rely just on our transportation services to the public," he was quoted by Antara as saying.