Human Rights commission seeks governor's help

Human Rights commission seeks governor's help

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights has written to the Jakarta administration requesting help in settling the alleged illegal flattening of houses in the Ancol and Penjaringan subdistricts in North Jakarta last week.

"We have decided to send a letter to Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja to clear the allegation reported by Ancol and Penjaringan residents," Clementino dos Reis Amaral, a commission member, told reporters after receiving the residents on Thursday.

Amaral said the commission will agree with any of the governor's actions as long as they are for the residents' prosperity.

The letter was in response to a request by a visiting delegation of about 200 residents of the two subdistricts, who asked for the commission's help in their battle against the North Jakarta mayoralty.

The delegation was received by two commission members, Amaral and Albert Hasibuan.

"We asked for the governor's help because the rights commission does not have the authority to investigate governmental affairs," Amaral said.

"We can only establish a fact-finding team to collect data and information and then give recommendations to related institutions," he added.

The delegation earlier asked the rights commission to investigate the case. They also demanded the North Jakarta administration compensate them for their damaged belongings.

The local administration had promised them Rp 50,000 (US$21.7) per family in compensation, which they claimed to be insufficient.

The residents told the rights commission that their homes had been pulled down by the North Jakarta administration without prior notice.

"We received no announcement before the North Jakarta administration ordered the flattening of our houses and belongings," Moh. Suyuth, who led the delegation, said.

He said that the local administration should have pre-warned them of its plan to demolish their houses.

The residents lived along the Opak riverbank, which the local government has declared a non-residential area. Their houses were demolished and their belongings destroyed by heavy equipment last Thursday.

"We realize that we have no legal land ownership, yet we need some preparation to leave the area," Suyuth said.

"They should have followed procedures, giving us three warnings before flattening our houses," he added.

Asmawati, a mother of eight children claiming to have lived in the area for 20 years, said she has no idea where to go after losing her home.

"I need the compensation money very much, either for renting a house or for returning to my hometown in Central Java," she said.(imn)