Komnas HAM delays Pinang Ranti eviction
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The eviction of squatters from Pinang Ranti, East Jakarta, originally scheduled to take place on Monday, has been postponed to Wednesday at the request of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
"Discussion between (Komnas HAM's deputy chairman) Solahuddin Wahid and the (East Jakarta) mayor led to the delay," Taheri Noor from the Komnas HAM monitoring subcommission said on Monday at his office in Central Jakarta.
The administration was asked to await the ruling of the State Administrative Court on a lawsuit from residents regarding the validity of the eviction notice, he said. Nevertheless, only a two-day postponement was granted.
The case was filed on Dec. 30; proceedings can take up to a month before being determined.
The eviction is based on the Harapan Kita foundation's claim over the disputed land. The foundation has authorized the Jakarta Military District Command to build a hospital there to replace the existing military hospital in Kramat, Central Jakarta.
Of the 111 families living in the area, 29 have agreed to take the Rp 3 million ($US352.95) in compensation offered to each family by the command and have demolished their homes.
"Komnas HAM will send a letter today to the East Jakarta municipality to try to halt the eviction," said Taheri.
In another development, the North Jakarta administration is set to commence the first phase of eviction of squatters from Tanah Merah, Plumpang, North Jakarta, in late January.
North Jakarta mayor Effendy Anas said that in the first phase the administration would demolish 1,000 illegal dwellings within a radius of 50 meters around the depot of state oil company PT Pertamina.
Plumpang is a holding depot for oil that comes from the Balongan refinery, West Java. A buffer zone is necessary in order to secure the vital facility, Pertamina officials claim.
Pertamina gave permission to people to grow vegetables on its land at the start of the economic crisis in 1997. The farmers eventually erected permanent dwellings, and currently 2,400 families live there.
Komnas HAM is organizing meetings to try and reach a solution that satisfies all stakeholders in Tanah Merah. Pertamina has offered another plot of 13.06 hectares not far from the depot and the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure has been asked to build low-cost apartments for the squatters.
However, it remains to be seen how the residents will respond to this option.
"The residents have not been officially notified of this alternative. We shall wait for a final agreement between Pertamina and the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure before informing them," said Taheri.