N. Jakarta mayoralty rebuked for demolition
JAKARTA (JP): A leading member of the National Commission on Human Rights criticized the North Jakarta mayoralty yesterday for demolishing the homes of more than 800 families in the Cilincing and Rorotan subdistricts.
"Demolishing residents' houses is against the law and constitutes a violation of human rights," Roekmini Koesoemo Astoeti said after meeting with some of evicted tenants.
Roekmini, a retired police brigadier general, also called on the mayoralty to act wisely in searching for a solution to the land dispute.
Some 300 residents of the two subdistricts crammed the yard of the human rights commission's headquarters yesterday to request the commission intervene on their behalf.
Around 4,650 people -- 600 families from Cilincing and 260 families from Rorotan -- watched their homes, mostly shacks, be demolished last week by employees of the mayoralty and PT Green Garden, a private housing developer which is planning to build houses in Rorotan.
The majority of the victims are scavengers, eking out a living by collecting recyclable thrash. Yesterday, they were accompanied by Cathy Lengkong, chairperson of the Indonesian Scavengers Association.
They were received by Roekmini and Soegiri, another commission member.
Yohanes, the spokesman for the residents, asked the commission to help mediate in the dispute to enable them to be properly compensated for the land.
The same delegation visited the House of Representatives last week on a similar mission.
Yohanes alleged that the housing developer sent thugs to the area to demolish their homes and took the few belongings they had, including some jewelry.
Another resident asked that he and the others be allowed to erect tents on the land pending the outcome of the negotiations.
Roekmini said the human rights commission will investigate the matter and will contact North Jakarta Mayor Suprawito and PT. Green Garden.
The developer has stated that it bought the land in Rorotan in 1980 and that the residents were squatters.
Hengky, president of Green Garden, said on Tuesday that his company obtained the title to the 43,000 square meter plot from the city administration in order to build a housing complex.
The disputed land in Cilincing has been earmarked by the North Jakarta mayoralty for a State Food Logistic Agency warehouse.
Cathy Lengkong said the evicted people had lived in the two subdistricts at least since 1982, and some as far back as 1978.
She quoted Presidential Decree No. 55 issued in 1983 which states that people who have tilled state land for some years should be compensated when the government takes the land back. (29)