Eviction still goes on despite governor's promise

Eviction still goes on despite governor's promise

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The evictions of the city's poorest inhabitants continued on the
second day of Ramadhan, despite promises from Governor Sutiyoso
to stop the practices during the holy month.

City public order officers targeted the same people in West
Jakarta for a third time in about six weeks on Tuesday, burning
the makeshift tents families had been using as shelter since
their homes were destroyed in Tanjung Duren Selatan on Oct. 2.

The latest assault follows Sutiyoso's apparent snub of a
summons from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas Ham)
to appear at a hearing on Tuesday to account for alleged human
rights abuses during a number of evictions in West Jakarta and
North Jakarta.

Two people died and a 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by
men wearing city uniforms during the evictions, which began in
September, with scores more left injured.

Tuesday's clearance of dozens of homeless from a bus shelter
in front of the abandoned Bank Dewa Ruci building on Jl. S.
Parman follows a similar incident on Sunday, when the officers
burned makeshift tents in an abandoned building.

The facts contrasted with a speech Sutiyoso gave in front of
four Jakarta mayors -- only the South Jakarta mayor was absent --
in a meeting at City Hall on Oct. 22, where he said: "The
evictions will be halted during Ramadhan, but their suspension is
only temporary."

Angry evictees burned tires in the middle of the busy road to
express their anger. Their action caused major traffic congestion
in the area for several hours.

In the afternoon, the evictees, who had all their possessions
apart from the clothes on their backs taken away by public order
officers, shielded from the rain in the bus shelter.

They had no idea where their belongings were taken.

West Jakarta Public Order Agency head Arief Fadillah told The
Jakarta Post by phone that the eviction was a "routine job to
control public areas".

"Anything that disturbs the public order, like makeshift
tents, must be demolished," he said.

The evictees said they had packed their belongings and were
about to take refuge at the National Commission for Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) office in Central Jakarta when suddenly the public
order officers and thugs allegedly hired by the land owner
attacked them.

The eviction processes have intensified in the last two months
to meet the governor's call to "make the city secure and
orderly".

Several non-governmental organizations have been demanding a
moratorium for 180 days, pending an evaluation of the city's
eviction policy.

Eight representatives of the evictees filed a complaint with
the Jakarta Administrative Court in East Jakarta on Oct. 16,
saying the West Jakarta municipality did not have any authority
to confiscate the land, which is in dispute between the owner and
other parties, thus violating Law. No. 2/1986 on General Court
Procedures.

"The administrative court has summoned us to have an
administrative examination on Thursday," said Ecoline Situmorang,
one of the lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
Association (PBHI), which represent the residents.

"We expect the hearing to be soon," she added.

Komnas HAM - page 8