Muara Angke residents demolish own houses

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".