Residents demand compensation

Residents of Penjaringan area in North Jakarta asked the administration to give a better compensation rate following a plan to appropriate their plots of land to build a toll road.

"The current compensation offered to us is not enough to build new homes," said Johanes, one of the residents, during a protest at the North Jakarta administration's office.

The government proposed an offer of Rp 550,000 (US$260) per square meter plus an additional 25-percent for buildings.

Johanes said that the residents are prepared to discuss the rate with the project coordinator after they agreed to lower their initial requirement of Rp 1.5 million per square meter. (09)