Eviction victims seek compensation

BEKASI: At least 300 residents of Jatiwarna, Jatiasih, Jatimekar and Jakamulya subdistricts in Bekasi, West Java, held a joint prayer from Thursday night to early Friday morning for eviction victims, who lost their homes because of the ongoing construction of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) project.

The prayer was meant to send a message to officials involved in the project to compensate the eviction victims, who have not received a single penny for their land.

"We pray that the officials of PT Jasa Marga and the Ministry of Public Works, who oversee the project, will pay us compensation for our land," said Awing Asmawi, coordinator of the joint prayer.

Awing said that Bekasi Mayor Akhmad Zurfaih issued a letter on May 21 last year, asking Jasa Marga to pay between Rp 1.2 million and Rp 1.35 million per square meter to people affected by the project. --JP