Squatters incensed by plan to be removed

JAKARTA (JP): The government's plan to set up public facilities in Tanah Abang Bongkaran slum area in Central Jakarta hit a snag on Saturday.

"We will not leave this area if the government does not give us a better place to live or pay us compensation to go back to our hometowns. We do not want to be transmigrated," said one of the senior squatters, who all claim to have lived in the area for more than 10 years.

A number of government officials accompanied by activists in white uniforms with badges bearing the words "Islamic Defenders Front" and policemen carrying fire arms visited the area to measure the land.

The government's plan includes the construction of schools, sports facilities, a mosque and a security post.

The squatters, who learned about the government's plan to measure the land the night before, were distraught to hear of the plan to develop the half-hectare plot, which belongs to state- owned railway company Perumka.

The arrival of the officials and the activists immediately caused tension in the area, in which many notorious criminals are known to live.

It is a known fact that buildings on the plot of land are used at night for prostitution, gambling and hoodlum hangouts.

In daylight hours, Bongkaran, derived from the local word bongkar (loading), is usually used for loading and unloading activities for goods to be traded in the nearby Tanah Abang area.

According to squatters, street brawls between rival gangs in the area has cost many lives.

"Sometimes there are four or five death bodies found in just one morning," another squatter told The Jakarta Post.

The government, seemingly fed up with losing its long battle to clean up the area from hoodlums, has now decided to relocate the squatters once for all.

The presence of hoodlums in the area dates back at least 20 years and squatters say numerous parties reap benefits from the illegal businesses that come alive at night.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso vowed last month to rid the capital of hoodlums following a fierce street brawl in the area.

The squatters are scheduled to meet with local government officials, including those from Perumka, on Monday in the Central Jakarta mayoralty office. (04)