More eviction cases filed to administrative court

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Residents of Pinang Ranti, East Jakarta, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to the Jakarta State Administrative Court against an eviction plan following previous lawsuits filed by evictees from Tanjung Duren Selatan in West Jakarta and Muara Angke in North Jakarta.

"As a representative of 111 families in Pinang Ranti, I demand that the East Jakarta municipality administration annul its eviction order as it was not made based on land deeds," said lawyer Bartholomeus Diaz.

Residents received their second eviction notice on Dec. 18 from the administration. The notice states that the land belongs to the Harapan Kita Foundation, which has permitted the Jakarta Military Command (Kodam Jaya) to build a hospital on the 3.06 hectare plot of land.

"The foundation claims to own the land without producing a land deed, but the residents have theirs," Diaz claimed.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) mediated in a meeting between Kodam Jaya and the residents to find a solution to the issue, but no agreement was reached.

Separately, residents of Cipinang Melayu, East Jakarta, filed a lawsuit with the same court regarding the Indonesian Air Force's plan to clear a 32-hectare plot of land bordering its base.

"The first hearing of the trial should be this week," said one of the residents, Aloysius Alo. "The land is in dispute, so no action can be taken on the land, including evictions."

In the trial filed by Muara Angke residents, the accused -- Penjaringan district and the North Jakarta municipality -- read out their defense statement, saying that they had followed the governor's instructions on evictions.

The plaintiff said in last week's hearing that the evictions were in violation of human rights and Article 3 of Law No. 51/1960 on restriction of land use without consent. The article stipulates that only the Jakarta governor can issue eviction orders.

The panel of judges adjourned the trial until Jan. 7.