Nine Jelambar residents too scared to go home

JAKARTA (JP): Nine residents of Jelambar, West Jakarta, have not been able return home for a week as of yesterday because they were scared of being intimidated by neighbors.

Late Friday, residents of the Jelambar Baru subdistrict, Grogol Petamburan, said they had been terrorized by their neighbors because they had been quoted in an article in Republika daily's Sunday edition talking life in their slum area. Their neighbors were angered by the article which alleged there was a lot of crime in the area.

"One of us was threatened with rape, because she was quoted in the part about rape," a woman requesting anonymity said.

She was one of the residents seeking refuge with friends outside Jelambar.

The people quoted in the article were members of a group called Konsorsium Jelambar Baru (Jelambar Baru Urban Poor Consortium), which includes residents and social activists.

The group's contact person, sociologist Wardah Hafidz, said 150 people thronged the group's office, some of them shouting that the building should be set on fire.

"It's not safe for residents to return yet," she said.

Wardah, who was in the building at the time, was taken to the local police office with another group member but was released. No one was detained.

The newspaper article was a run-up to the Group's presentation of its play titled The People of Jelambar Baru which was staged Friday at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences building.

But the story was totally different from the one rehearsed because members improvised using their recent experiences. The group was set up in 1990.

One of the members, Kuna, said she hoped she could return home to her four children as soon as possible.

Wardah said one problem facing them was a city plan to build a 26-meter road through the area. They have tried to get an explanation why the road is needed but to no avail, she said. (anr)