Muara Angke residents demolish own houses

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The scheduled eviction on Monday at the Muara Angke riverbanks by the North Jakarta municipality administration turned out to be a demolition carried out by the residents themselves.

Those who demolished their own houses received Rp 500,000 (US$58.83) in compensation from the administration. The people, mostly fishermen, were given two days to demolish their homes.

However, some others, mostly fishermen, still resisted the eviction. They had stayed ashore for a week, fearing that the eviction would take place while they are away fishing. They guarded their houses and watched as their neighbors' houses vanished one by one.

An officer from the municipal Public Order Agency, Bambang Prayitno, told several fishermen that the officers would only monitor the demolition process on Monday and Tuesday. However, he did not know what action the administration would take if the fishermen continued to stay on the land until Wednesday.

More than 100 public order officers were seen helping residents who voluntarily tore down their houses.

They did not touch hundreds of resisting residents who just stared at them as the officers walked pass their houses.

The riverbank clearing has attracted public attention since the municipal administration issued three letters since September, notifying the squatters that they had to vacate the land.

Even Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Rokhmin Dahuri visited the area on Monday, to show his empathy for the fishermen.

The minister promised to talk to North Jakarta Mayor Effendi Anas, to look for alternative housing for the fishermen located near the rivers or the sea.

The fishermen insist that they must live near the water as they need their boats to work.

North Jakarta municipal secretary Agus Salim Utut, who accompanied the minister, told the fishermen that they could go fishing without the fear that the municipality would demolish their houses without their knowledge.

Kajidin, chairman of the Traditional Fishermen's Union and a 20-year resident of the area, was disappointed with the promise which he said "does not give any certainty for our future".