Residents' Stories of House Evictions in Lenteng Agung

Bella Nova Dianti was packing clothes at her home in RT 02 RW 10, Lenteng Agung, Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, on Thursday, 11 June 2026. The 36-year-old was preparing to move to the Rawa Bambon area in Ciracas, East Jakarta, after the Indonesian Army evicted homes in the area. The army claims the RW 10 area is state land that was formerly the Yon Zikon 15 barracks. “We were forced into discomfort. The electricity and water were cut off,” said the PAUD teacher at the location on Thursday.

Since Monday, 8 June 2026, army personnel have been evicting residents of RW 10. Bella said the eviction was carried out without prior notice, prompting residents to resist. “The army entered residents’ homes. They asked for belongings to be packed,” she said.

The secretary of RT 02 RW 10 said there are more than 147 families living in RT 02. In 2024, the army informed residents to vacate their homes. According to her, residents who agreed to move would receive compensation of Rp 3 million per house. However, this compensation was only given to retired military personnel and Warakawuri. “Outside of that, there is no compensation at all,” she said.

During the process, Bella said 47 families from RT 02 agreed to move. “The rest are still holding out because they do not accept it,” she said. Bella stated that the majority of residents refused to move. The reason is that RW 10 residents have been living in the area since the 1990s. Indeed, she said, the area was formerly army barracks. Even now, many families of retired army personnel still live there. However, not all houses belong to retired army personnel. There are civilian residents who have settled in the area for decades. “There are also those who bought the house from the previous family,” she said.

Furthermore, Bella said not all of RW 10 falls within the area claimed by the army. Bella’s house is located outside the army barracks area. Bella’s parents have lived there since 1960. “For 65 years, living here for generations, there has never been a dispute,” she said. According to Bella, the residents who are holding out have made various efforts to obtain their rights. Some have pursued litigation and non-litigation routes. Bella and several RT 02 residents used the non-litigation route, complaining about the issue to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM). When the eviction was carried out last Monday, Bella said Komnas HAM sent a letter requesting a postponement. However, the eviction proceeded anyway.

Bella hopes the army will show wisdom and justice to the community. They have lived in the area for decades and have spent their own money on renovations. “So, if you ask whether we are sincere about leaving this house, it is indeed hard. But what can we do, safety is the priority,” she said.

The Head of the Army Information Service (Kadispenad), Infantry Colonel Donny Pramono, did not respond to Tempo’s message regarding this matter. In an official army release on Thursday, 11 June 2026, the Indonesian Army claimed that the activities carried out in the Lenteng Agung area, South Jakarta, were the arrangement and regulation of official housing standing on state assets belonging to the Indonesian Army. The army explained that the objects being regulated are part of the Denzijahandak/SDS asset of the Army Engineering Centre (Pusziad) covering 44,841 square metres, which holds a Right of Use Certificate Number 00184 of 2016 in the name of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia cq. the Indonesian Army. The ex-Zikon 15 area, which is the focus of the arrangement, has an area of approximately 15,250 square metres and was originally designated as official housing for army soldiers.

The arrangement of the area is being carried out to support the organisational development of the unit from a Jihandak Engineer Company to a Jihandak Engineer Detachment (Denzijihandak). This organisational development results in an increase in personnel and a growing need for official housing and supporting facilities for active soldiers to support the execution of duties. In accordance with applicable regulations, these houses are classified as State Houses Category II designated for active army members. Therefore, official housing must be returned to the unit if the occupant has entered retirement, transferred units, or no longer has the right to occupy it.

Based on the latest data collection, the ex-Zikon 15 area is inhabited by 152 families. Of that number, 45 families have voluntarily vacated the official housing after receiving an explanation regarding the asset status and the unit’s organisational needs. In this process, the army also provided assistance with transporting goods and other support to help facilitate the smooth vacation of the official housing.

The evictions carried out by the army are known to have begun on Wednesday, 10 June. That day, there was resistance from local residents who refused to move. A number of residents and members of the University of Indonesia Law Faculty Student Executive Board (BEM FH UI) attempted to prevent army personnel from entering the RW 10 area. Pushing and shoving occurred between the two parties, resulting in several residents and BEM members sustaining injuries.

BEM FH UI Chair Anandaku Dimas said residents claim to possess proof of cultivation rights reinforced by documents from the National Land Agency (BPN). Residents subsequently challenged the unilateral land ownership claim in court. “The residents, with their legal counsel, have already submitted this land as an object of dispute in court,” he said. Dimas stated that the court dispute process is still ongoing, yet the army carried out a unilateral eviction. Residents did not even receive information about the eviction, leading them to refuse to be evicted. In this dispute, BEM FH UI is accompanying the residents.