NGO urges a humane eviction of 24,000 squatters in North Jakarta

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 09/19/2008 11:52 AM  |  City

If the city administration has its way, 24,000 families in North Jakarta will lose their homes in the near future, People Demand Housing Rights (Mantap) said Thursday.

"Numerous families will be evicted this year to make way for green areas," said Deny from Mantap, which is counseling residents of the 22 affected communities stretching from Ancol to Kelapa Gading.

The administration has planned to clear squats under it's greening and flood control programs. The areas to be cleared are the BMW park, Pluit Dam and the area along Jl. Artha Gading.

On Aug. 24, municipal public order officers evicted 1,400 families squatting in BMW Park, a site originally designated as a green area during the city's "Clean (Bersih), Humane (Manusiawi), Esteemed (Wibawa)" program.

The BMW park eviction turned into a melee with scores of public order officials and squatters being injured. Ten people were arrested.

The city now plans to build an international soccer stadium there. A competition for the best stadium design was launched on Aug. 26.

Some 200 of those families still refuse to leave. They have built up makeshift shelters in the park and along the nearby railway tracks to replace the homes the administration tore down.

"We are going to stay here until the mayor listens to our demands," the evicted squatters said at a meeting Thursday.

The residents are demanding more time to seek a compromise with the municipal administration or find another location to live and work in. They have taken their demands to the National Committee on Human Rights, the House of Representatives and the North Jakarta municipality office.

Meanwhile, Mantap demands a more humane approach.

"They know that they're squatters, but the eviction process should be more humane," Deny said.

A North Jakarta official said Pluit Dam, the most populated area with 9,000 families, would be cleared to make way for green areas designed to absorb rainfall and prevent the chronic flooding characteristic of that area of North Jakarta.

The 1,000 families currently living in the area around Jl. Artha Gading will also be evicted by the construction of a flood-control dam.

Data from Mantap shows that the areas earmarked for eviction also include Tanah Merah Plumpang, Tanah Kampung Sawah, the area behind the Islamic Center, Kampung Banda, Kampung Sepat, the TPI Marunda area, Bongkaran, Kebon Pisang, disputed BPPN disputed, West Semper, Kampung Grandong, the Penjaringan area, upper and lower Da'o, and alongside the railway tracks in West Pademangan totaling around 230 hectares. (fmb)

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