Guards of illegal villas 'will kill if necessary'
Guards of illegal villas 'will kill if necessary'
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Like security men whom we frequently see in mafia movies, the
security guards of illegal villas and other properties at the
Puncak tourist resort also have a typically rough attitude.
For example, they think that they must adopt a stern
expression at all times. If necessary, they will not hesitate to
intimidate anyone violating the rules as they see them.
"I'd kill if necessary," said the guard of a villa in
Sukagalih village in Cisarua subdistrict, Bogor regency, West
Java, when The Jakarta Post began to interview him in the
village, some eight kilometers from the main Bogor-Bandung
thoroughfare.
The guard then told a story about a villager who left the
village because the man feared him due to being unable to repay a
loan.
The villa, owned by a middle-ranking army officer in Jakarta,
has legal status. But an official in the village office said the
owner of the villa claimed a large area of state land around the
villa after he had bought it from squatters.
Ace Sulaeman, an official of PTP Nusantara VIII state-owned
plantation company, said that the state land was initially only
planted with vegetables, but eventually, villas started to appear
there.
Such villa development can be seen in several villages in
Cisarua subdistrict.
However, the villa's janitor, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said that his boss often visited the villa,
particularly on the weekend.
Although he claimed that his boss had entrusted all the
plantation's affairs to him, he was reluctant to talk about the
plantation. He also refused to give the phone number of his boss
in Jakarta.
"I'm willing to give you the phone number, but on one
condition. You should not talk about this plantation with him. If
you do so and my boss gets angry with me, I will hunt you
wherever you go," he asserted.
Complaints over such a hostile attitude by guards were also
voiced by journalists covering the demolition of Jakarta Governor
Sutiyoso's villa in Tugu Utara village, Cisarua district,
recently, as the security guards, who did not wear uniform,
refused to allow them to see other villas in the Citameang
complex of the village.
They stood at every road intersection and guided all visitors,
particularly journalists, solely to the site of Sutiyoso's
demolished villa, which had been built on state land.
Villagers said there were around 20 villas at the Citameang
complex, two of which had been constructed last year. The
villagers said only that one villa, known as Villa Manado, was
still under construction.
The guards were reluctant to explain why the journalists were
not allowed to see other villas.
"We have allowed you to see the site of Pak Sutiyoso's villa.
We can only guide you there. Why do you ask to see other
places? ... Just make it simple! This is my source of living.
Will you be responsible if we lose our jobs? We are only "small
people", so don't disturb us," said one of the guards when the
Post tried to argue.