The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Around 100 squatters rallied at City Hall on Wednesday, demanding the Jakarta administration pay ""appropriate"" compensation before evicting them from Menteng Atas subdistrict in Central Jakarta.
Spokesman for the protesters, Martin, said the head of Menteng Atas subdistrict earlier told squatters he would help each family receive Rp 1 million (around US$107) in compensation before the eviction took place.
""But the fact is, while we still haven't received any money, a bulldozer arrived at our place, demolishing some of our houses and almost killing two of my neighbors. The subdistrict head only said it was an inadvertence,"" said Martin.
He added that Rp 1 million was far from enough, and that the squatters wanted the administration to pay them Rp 5 million per family.
""We basically don't mind the eviction, but we ask them to give us appropriate compensation. If they do so, we'll dismantle the houses ourselves,"" said Martin.
There are currently some 300 families occupying the land, Martin said, adding he was not sure whether the land belonged to the government or Bakrie Group, a developer related to the family of Aburizal Bakrie, coordinating minister for people's welfare.
In a written statement distributed to reporters, the protesting squatters said they had lived on the land for dozens of years, and paid taxes and electricity fees to the subdistrict office.
""But this doesn't seem to mean anything to the government. We, who live mostly in poverty, have been under high pressure related to this eviction,"" they said in the statement.
Meanwhile, hundreds of squatters living along the Sekretaris riverbank in Gili Sampeng, Kebon Jeruk district, West Jakarta, also demanded compensation related to the administration's eviction plan.
District vice-head Hendra Hidayat said Wednesday his office had received a letter from 86 of 119 families who faced eviction, saying they realized their fault for living on the city-owned land.
""They are willing to move but demand compensation of Rp 1.5 million for each family.
""But we are not able to meet the request because we don't allocate any of our budget for that,"" he said.
The administration delayed its eviction plan to prevent any possible violence and hoped the squatters would voluntarily dismantle their houses.
The district office had earlier issued three warnings -- the latest dated Nov. 13 -- to the squatters, who have been living along the riverbank since 2004.
Hendra said the district has not set a date to evict the squatters, pending confirmation from the West Jakarta public order agency.
The squatters are in violation of a 2007 bylaw on public order stipulating that no one is allowed to run any businesses or build any houses on city-owned land, according to Hendra.
""Besides, their houses create a problem if we want to clean up the river,"" he said.
One of the squatters, Ahmad Panggo, said they demanded compensation because they needed money to pay the transportation costs to return their hometown.
He said he and other squatters would be willing to demolish their own houses as long as they received compensation that could be used for transportation expenses.
""Some of us are ready to return to our hometowns,"" he said. (wda/ewd)
