Fence built despite naked protest
Fence built despite naked protest
JAKARTA (JP): A protracted land dispute between city
authorities and Gelong Baru residents almost erupted into
violence yesterday as authorities demolished two more houses on
and erected a fence around the disputed plot of land.
Women residents threw stones and one went so far as taking off
her clothes in the hope of warding off the authorities and
keeping them from tearing down the last two shanties standing.
"With the utmost respect I ask all of you to leave my
property," Usmar Aprianto, another resident of Gelong Baru,
Slipi, West Jakarta, told the encroaching authorities.
Usmar attempted to pull out the poles supporting the zinc
sheets being used by the authorities to fence in the 48,702
square meter area.
Four people, including Usmar, a lawyer and the representative
of some 20 families in the area, were whisked away by the
authorities for trying to prevent the authorities from building
the fence.
The West Jakarta mayoralty, which claims that the land belongs
to state-owed PT Telkom, demolished all 20 houses on the plot on
Jan. 24. Two more, however, were built in defiance of the
authorities.
Residents claim to have legitimate land rights over the land,
which they say they purchased from a Gambir district chief in
1962. They have been living on the site since the early 1970s.
PT Telkom has twice attempted to reclaim the land, once in
1962 and again in 1972.
Karsidin, a West Jakarta official, said that the residents had
signed a compensation agreement offered by PT Telkom last
November. However, the residents now feel they were not fairly
compensated.
Personnel from PT Telkom were present at the site but refused
to comment on the situation.
Meanwhile, the West Jakarta security and order department also
demolished a temporary shelter of construction workers near the
Orchid Garden in West Jakarta.
Sources said that the action was taken following complaints
from local residents that the shelter was built on an area of
land designated for the city's greening project.