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Jakarta Post

Ahok slams Komnas HAM, threatens to sue squatters

The Jakarta administration criticized the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) for saying it indiscriminately opposed the recent demolition of illegal buildings at Taman Burung in Penjaringan, North Jakarta

Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, December 19, 2013

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Ahok slams Komnas HAM, threatens to sue squatters

T

he Jakarta administration criticized the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) for saying it indiscriminately opposed the recent demolition of illegal buildings at Taman Burung in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said at City Hall on Wednesday that the city administration would offer no compensation to residents because they had no land ownership documents and only those with Jakarta ID cards would be relocated to the Pinus Elok low-cost apartment in East Jakarta.

He said the rights body should know that the highly publicized issue of women and children being left homeless following the demolition had been used by a group of residents that occupied the state land and were renting their homes to migrants from outside Jakarta.

Ahok insisted that there would be no dialogue because the plan had been disseminated over the past year, there would be no compensation because the land they occupied belonged to the state and the city administration would file a lawsuit against squatters who opposed the relocation and demolition.

 '€œThey [squatters] want to have a dialogue with us after we pay them compensation,'€ he said.

As many as 40 families refused to leave their homes and move to the apartments in East Jakarta.

As of Wednesday, they still had not left the area and were staying in tents and a mosque; the only building that had not been demolished.

Ahok revealed that the Taman Burung residents were not poor. '€œA person that can build 10 houses worth Rp 4 billion [is not poor],'€ he said.

Budi Karya Sumadi, president director of city-owned property developer PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro) that manages the land, said his lawyer had sent a legal warning to the squatters in Taman Burung.

'€œWe demanded that they move immediately from the area without asking for any compensation,'€ he said, adding that the legal warning were directed to local figures that had been vocal about compensation.

'€œWe did not send any legal warnings to the poor,'€ he said.

'€œIf they do not respond to our demands within three days, we will file a report to the police,'€ he said.

Beside residents'€™ resistance, Komnas HAM also criticized the administration.

Komnas HAM commissioner Siane Indriani said during her visit in Taman Burung on Tuesday that Jakarta Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo had broken his promise to compensate the residents.

Jokowi reiterated that he had never promised any form of compensation.

Siane said the city administration should investigate the owners of the buildings thoroughly.

'€œSome people have been living here for years and they have ID Cards, family cards and they paid for land and building taxes [PBB],'€ she said.

Ahok turned his nose up at Komnas HAM'€™s remarks, saying that, perhaps, Komnas HAM should camp out with him at the National Monument (Monas) compound in Central Jakarta.

'€œIf the administration wants to relocate us, we will also demand compensation,'€ he said.

The relocation was part of the administration'€™s effort to revitalize Pluit reservoir in Penjaringan.

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