Residents protest eviction plan

Residents protest eviction plan

JAKARTA: About 150 residents of Cipinang Melayu, East Jakarta,
staged a rally at the City Council on Tuesday to protest against
a plan to evict them from their homes.

Leader of the protesters, Ojahan, said that on Monday at about
noon, dozens of people from the East Jakarta municipality and
members of the Navy came to their area to distribute letters
dated May 29. The letters, signed by Mayor Koesnan Halim, said
that their homes had to be demolished within seven days as they
were constructed without building permits (IMB) on land belonging
to the Navy.

Some of the residents said they already had permits, while
others admitted they did not have any permits, but were ready to
apply for them.

However, they rejected the Navy's claim that it was the legal
owner of the land.

According to Aloysius A, one of the residents, several years
ago some Navy members came to "borrow" the title documents, but
never returned them.

He said that the residents often received anonymous phone
calls warning them not to erect any buildings on the
land.--Antara