Slum residents to sue developer

Slum residents to sue developer

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Scavengers Association plans to
sue a land developer and the North Jakarta mayoralty for
forcefully evicting its members in Rorotan and Cakung.

Association chairwoman Cathy Lengkong told The Jakarta Post
yesterday that the eviction of thousands of scavengers in the two
slum areas was unlawful.

Cathy said the scavengers have legal grounds for occupying the
land. Based on Presidential Decree No 55 issued in 1958 people
who till government land deserve compensation. She said the
families in Cakung Cilincing have occupied the site since 1978
while those in Rorotan have done so since 1983.

"They can not evict people just like that without any
compensation," Cathy said, but refused to elaborate on the amount
of money which the families want in compensation.

According to Cathy, developer PT Green Garden has paid the
families Rp 1 million in compensation and provided two trucks to
transport the people back to their hometowns.

Support

Cathy said the Rorotan farm families have asked for the
House's support to ensure they are allowed to reoccupy their
houses until the case is settled.

The families visited the House on Tuesday to protest against
their forceful eviction from the land they have cultivated since
the early 1980s.

Meanwhile, more than 300 families lost their homes on Jl.
Cakung-Cilincing in North Jakarta on Wednesday when security
guards from the district city administration demolished their
shelters.

A Logistics Agency (BULOG) warehouse will be built on the
land, an official said.

The families, who are mainly scavengers and laborers, were
given no notice of the eviction.

"Nobody knew about it. As far as we knew the eviction was to
be done on Friday," Suparmin, 31, an occupant told Antara news
agency.

He said the area used to be a garbage dump before they began
tilling it in 1982. (01)