Locals don't want to be railroaded

JAKARTA: Residents of Lorong W Barat in Tanjung Priok refused to vacate their homes in the area, to make way for the North Jakarta administration's project to reconstruct a railroad connecting Pasoso station and the Jakarta International Container Terminal in Koja.

"We're not squatters. We've lived here for over 20 years now and we have legal documents and identity cards. We don't believe the railroad project is a good enough reason to evict us," a resident, Sujono, said, as reported by Tempointeraktif news portal on Thursday.

The residents said the railroad project had been stalled since 1993.

The rail track has been buried underneath Jl. Sulawesi and a concrete building near Tanjung Priok port.

The administration promised compensation money of Rp 500,000 (some US$56) to residents who dismantle their houses themselves. -- JP