Rights body to probe slum demolition case

Rights body to probe slum demolition case

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights has
pledged to investigate a slum demolition case filed by a North
Jakarta slum community of Kampung Bahari.

"We'll check with the North Jakarta mayoralty regarding the
allegedly siphoned-off compensation fund for the slum dwellers,"
Soegiri, a member of the commission told the community on Monday.

Some 20 residents present at the office of the commission said
their homes had been demolished by personnel of the public works
ministry.

This is their second visit to the commission office in two
months. Some of the residents claimed that they had bought the
land from Perum Pelabuhan, a state-run company administering the
Jakarta port. Others claimed that they had legal building permits
for their houses and paid their Land and Building taxes every
year.

Rusbah, a resident, told The Jakarta Post that the community
of the slum by Kali Tiram's bank was invited by the local
district personnel two months ago and was told to relinquish
their land rights for the sake of a river's cleaning project.

The residents said they agreed to give up their lands with a
compensation but there had never been talks about the amount of
the compensation money until their houses were demolished.

"It didn't crossed our minds that our lands will be brusquely
appropriated without compensation," he added.

Rusbah said that residents had been ping-ponged from one
government agency to another in the last two months in their
search of explanation about the compensation money.

Residents said three days before the Idul Fitri holidays,
public works and security personnel came to smash their homes,
leaving most residents homeless during the holidays. Some,
however, still refused to go and clinged to whatever left of
their houses.

"They have to cross my dead body first before they totally
demolish my house," said a resident who said she now has only two
square meters left to share with her family.

"I gave away all the food I bought for the festivities to my
neighbors," Tarjo, a driver of motorcycle taxi, said.(14)