Selapanjang residents plan to demonstrate at airport
Selapanjang residents plan to demonstrate at airport
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Villagers from Selapanjang in Tangerang have threatened to stage
a protest at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The
residents have been demanding compensation since they were
evicted from their land due to the airport's expansion project
which began last year. The project was operated by PT Angkasa
Pura II.
"We have been patient so far. We'll stage a demonstration at
the PT Angkasa Pura II head office (at the airport)," local
community leader, Suwadi, said on Tuesday, adding that the
deadline is the end of this month.
If the villagers go ahead with the rally it could cause major
disruption and flight delays as a result of traffic jams.
Last month a group of ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers
demonstrated at the airport because PT Angkasa Pura II was
preventing motorcyclists from entering the airport. The rally
caused airport employees and flight crew to arrive at work late
and flight schedules were thrown into disarray.
The assistant for administrative affairs to Tangerang's mayor,
Affandi Permana, confirmed on Tuesday that the 400 residents or
80 families involved had yet to receive compensation for their
land.
"We can understand their impatience as they have waited a long
time for compensation," Permana, who is a member of the Team of
Nine responsible for clearing the land, told The Jakarta Post.
He said that the mayoralty and the airport operator had
allocated funds for the residents but that approval by the State
Minister for State Enterprises, Laksamana Sukardi, was needed
before the funds were distributed.
Permana said Laksamana hadn't approved compensation for the
villagers due to his busy schedule and included Laksamana's
recent overseas trips accompanying President Megawati
Soekarnoputri as part of that busy schedule.
PT Angkasa Pura II spokesman Wasfan claimed that the
disbursement of compensation for the 80 families had started last
month but he failed to disclose the amount of the compensation or
the number of families who had benefited from it.
The company had reportedly offered the residents compensation
of Rp 150,000 (US$18.3) per square meter for their land.
Dozens of families in Kresek Asin and Jati Jengkol villages in
Tangerang are also waiting to receive compensation for land they
lost due to the airport's expansion.
PT Angkasa Pura II and Tangerang's mayoralty appropriated 1,600
hectares of land belonging to residents living around the
airport.
The airport operator plans to expand the airport from 1,800
hectares to 3,400 hectares, developing the extension of terminals
III and VI. The expansion to the airport would allow for the
accommodation of up to 100 million passengers annually by 2020.