Kedoya, Cakung residents complain over demolition
Kedoya, Cakung residents complain over demolition
JAKARTA (JP): Fifty residents of Kedoya, West Jakarta, and
another 12 from Cakung, East Jakarta, lodged complaints with the
National Commission on Human Rights yesterday, saying that the
city administration has yet to compensate them for the
appropriation of their land for development projects.
The 50 Kedoya residents consisted of 40 from the northern part
of the district, whose houses have recently been demolished, and
10 from the southern section of the district, who fear that their
houses will also be demolished.
Those from the district's north are among about 4,000 people
whose houses, which were located along the Angke River, have been
flattened since the beginning of this month. The demolitions are
part of the city administration's river-cleaning program.
The sudden bulldozing of their homes has forced the residents
to erect tents within the grounds of the Green Garden estate on
the other side of the wall which separates their former
neighborhood from the housing complex.
The displaced residents say they have not yet received any
compensation.
"We know this is the administration's land, but we have lived
here for more than 10 years," said Soekamto, one of the
residents.
Soekamto said that, like other people in the area, he
purchased his plot of land about 10 years ago from the
subdistrict chief for approximately Rp 20,000 (US$9) per square
meter.
In the north of Kedoya, The Jakarta Post found the residents
still discussing their request to the government after security
officers told them that they would convey their demands.
After an hour of talks, the residents agreed that they would
demand Rp 350,000 ($157) per sq. meter for each permanent house
and Rp 250,000 for each non-permanent one.
"We are trying to be realistic, not to make a high demand. But
we need a place to live and money to build another house," said
Nirwan.
The 10 protesters from the southern part of Kedoya, who
represented 350,000 fellow-residents, said in a letter to the
Commission that they needed what they called "legal protection of
land ownership". They said they had heard rumors that their
houses would also be demolished in the near future.
Meanwhile, another group of people from the same area met with
members of the City Council in relation to a similar matter. The
councilors told them that the city administration is not
consistent in its land policy.
The Councilors said that, unlike dispossessed residents of
Pejambon, Central Jakarta, who have already received between Rp
300,000 and Rp 500,000 in compensation for land cleared as part
of the same program, the Kedoya residents have received nothing.
Twelve residents of Cakung, West Jakarta, representing some 92
families, also lodged a complaint with the Commission over the
government's impending appropriation of their land in order to
make way for a freeway linking Cilincing and Cakung.
The residents said the Cakung subdistrict had asked them to
vacate the area within 14 days from Nov. 1.
"They never warned us beforehand that we would have to leave
the area" one of the residents said.
The residents said that they needed more time to prepare for
the move and demanded Rp 4 million in compensation for each
family dispossessed. (03/05/yns)