Forced eviction issue to be raised at Habitat meeting
Forced eviction issue to be raised at Habitat meeting
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
are planning to bring up the issue of forced eviction at the
forthcoming unofficial NGO Global Forum on Human Settlements --
Habitat II -- in Istanbul, Turkey.
Surya Mulandar, coordinator of the Indonesian NGOs Network for
Habitat (INN-HABITAT), said that many people have been deprived
of their right to housing through the wrongful practice of legal
demolition.
"Other countries have problems related to illegal demolition.
But in Indonesia, legal demolition has become a source of serious
problems to many people," Surya told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The NGO Global Forum, scheduled to take place from May 30 to
June 14, will convene in parallel with the official UN Conference
on Human Settlement -- also called Habitat II -- from June 3-14.
Delegations to the conference plan to establish a global
sustainable settlement system and discuss ways to provide
sufficient housing for everyone.
Demolition of people's settlements in order to make way for
development projects often leads to conflicts between residents
and the authorities. Surya blamed the situation on the fact that
many residents don't receive adequate compensation. In addition,
authorities do not clearly explain regulations on demolition to
them.
Dwiyanto Prihartono and Waskito Adiribowo of the Jakarta Legal
Aid Institute (LBH), a member of the NGO coalition, said in a
paper on demolition that the authorities often fail to consult
the affected residents in determining the amount of compensation.
The practice is against Presidential Decree No.55/1993, the
lawyers said in the paper, which is being used by the NGOs as a
reference.
The decree stipulates that negotiation is essential in land
acquisition and demolition. The amount of compensation should be
set in during discussion involving the people who will have to
give up their land and buildings.
Citing an example, the lawyers said that in 1994, the
government set the compensation for land in Pinangsia, West
Jakarta, at Rp 40,000 (approximately US$17 in today's currency)
for each square meter of land, or less than one tenth of the
market price. When the residents resisted eviction, the city
administration asked the military to force the residents to
leave.
The military is usually involved in forced evictions,
according to the lawyers. They also said that the residents who
refused to give up their land were treated as "criminals."
In some cases, the authorities set the compensation much lower
than the market prices because the residents or the land tillers
-- who are often unaware of the relevant laws -- could not show
their land titles. The lawyers said that the authorities should consider not only
the legal aspect, but also social aspects of eviction.
During the Habitat II conference, Istanbul will host around
25,000 participants from 185 countries who represent governments,
NGOs and the private sector.
"The government will surely talk about this `good practice'.
We will talk about this 'bad practice'," Surya said.
The presentation of legal demolitions and low compensation as
bad practices would mean more than merely criticism, he said. The
NGOs also want to offer solutions to the problems through their
presentation.
Other issues scheduled for discussion by the Indonesian NGOs
include spatial plans, pollution, housing and street children.
INN-HABITAT, involving 19 NGOs, was founded earlier this year
to exchange information and work together to address the habitat
issues and events.
The first World Human Settlements Conference, Habitat I, was
held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976. (sim)