Squatters incensed by plan to be removed
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)