Evictees demand humane treatment

JAKARTA: Some 200 people rallied at the North Jakarta municipality office Tuesday, demanding the government provide them with a suitable place to live.

The protesters were some of the 4,000 evictees who used to live in the 26-hectare Bersih, Manusiawi dan Wibawa (Clean, humane and esteemed, or BMW) park in the Papanggo subdistrict.

"The eviction was carried out brutally; my son had to get his head stitched up," said Dewi, an evictee, referring to the Aug. 24 action in which squatters clashed with public order officials.

A number of squatters were injured during the incident and 10 were detained.

The evictees demanded the administration let them stay in the park or else move them to new quarters with clean water and electricity.

"Even animals have shelter.... We're treated worst than animals," said a woman.

No officials met with the demonstrators.

"We will keep on protesting until an agreement between the administration and the victims is reached," Sukenda, head of the Communication Forum for Victims of the BMW Park, told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Forced evictions, often accompanied by violence are a recurring event in Jakarta which has a population of more than 10 million people. --JP