Present in 2 Sub-Districts, This is GRIB's Land Claim in Tanah Abang Based on 1923 Documents

The polemic over land ownership in the Tanah Abang demolition area, Central Jakarta, is ongoing with a claim of ownership based on old documents from 1923 by the heirs represented by GRIB Jaya.

GRIB Jaya’s General Chairman, Rosario de Marshall alias Hercules, stated that the land does not belong to the state or PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), but to the heirs named Sulaeman Effendi.

“Because I know this land very well, because I’ve been here for decades. This land does not belong to the railway,” said Hercules at the location on Friday (10/4/2026).

According to a member of GRIB Jaya’s legal team and the attorney for Sulaeman Effendi, Wilson Colling, the disputed land has an area of around 34,690 square metres.

“This land is not free state land, but land with an old ownership basis in the form of Eigendom Verponding from 1923,” said Wilson.

Its location is in the Tanah Abang demolition area covering two administrative areas, namely Kebon Kacang Sub-District and Kebon Melati Sub-District, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

The boundaries of the land are: to the north bordering the High Bridge, to the east with the main road, to the west with the railway tracks and river, and to the south bordering the residential area.

The private party is said to have held the Land Management Right (HPL) until 2017. After the HPL period ended, the land was returned to the original owner, namely the heirs.

According to Hercules, to this day the land is still physically controlled by Sulaeman Effendi as the legitimate heir.

He also denied allegations that the land is controlled by a community organisation.

“So that the Indonesian public knows that it is not a community organisation controlling state land. No,” he said.

He asked the Minister of Housing and Settlements, Maruarar Sirait, and KAI to show valid ownership documents.