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