Tangerang residents criticize police

Tangerang residents criticize police

Five residents of Cipulir district, Tangerang, are criticizing
city police over their slow response to an appeal to tackle a
land dispute case involving the state-owned manufacturer of
securities paper (Peruri).

The five, identified as Mulud, Murtabah, Warnadi, Ijo, and
Mrs. Aritonang, in the company of their lawyer Seopratman Sjam,
the chairman of the Perpahi lawyers union, told reporters at the
city police headquarters on Tuesday that they bought around 1,200
square meters of land in Sudimara from Haj Nadris, Musli and Haj
Amarullah in 1982.

But the landlords later sold the land to Peruri without their
knowledge in 1991.

"Last year we asked Tangerang police to examine the case but
thus far there is no indication that they will tackle it. Today,
we tried to meet either the city police chief (Maj. Gen. Moch.
Hindarto) or the chief of the investigative directorate chief
(Col. Nurfaizi), but they were not available," said Seopratman.

Seopratman said the Tangerang mayoralty administration on Aug.
14 evicted his clients from the premises, charging that they were
squatters. The charge is flatly denied by the five.

According to Soepratman, Tangerang Mayor Djakaria Machmud
issued demolition orders and instructed the five to vacate the
premises last year. But mayoralty officials repeatedly failed to
accomplish the order due to strong resistance from his clients.

The last attempt reportedly took place in February when the
mayoral guards came with a bulldozer, only to back off. (jsk)