Kalijodo residents forcibly evicted

JAKARTA: The West Jakarta municipality forcibly evicted illegal squatters along the riverbanks of Kalijodo in West Jakarta on Wednesday.

The eviction, which was conducted by the municipal public order sub-agency and the Penjaringan Police office, was marred by a clash between public order officials and police officers on one side, and the squatters on the other, who protested the action.

Penjaringan Police head Comr. Krishna Murti said that the clash was easily put down by the officers, who used tear gas.

He clarified, as quoted by Detik.com, that those who protested the eviction were not the squatters, but hoodlums in the area who benefited from the bars there. No one was arrested during the incident.

Most houses in the area were made of plywood and were easily destroyed, but those which were made from cement were bulldozed. About 500 officers were deployed for the operation.

The West Jakarta municipality had promised before that the people would be resettled to an apartment in Cengkareng. -- JP