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Pasar Ikan residents stage last stand against eviction
Hundreds of residents of Pasar Ikan in North Jakarta on Monday staged a protest against their eviction by the Jakarta administration as part of a project to revitalize the capital's north coast.
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Denizens of Pasar Ikan in North Jakarta protest against their eviction by the city administration. The area is being cleared to revitalize the capital's coastline. (thejakartapost.com/Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)
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undreds of residents of Pasar Ikan in North Jakarta on Monday staged a protest in the neighborhood against their eviction by the Jakarta administration as part of a project to revitalize the capital's north coast.
Around 300 residents of Pasar Ikan in Penjaringan faced off against thousands of officers deployed for Monday's eviction.
Carrying posters, they staged a sit-in to impede the officers and heavy equipment from entering the neighborhood that they have called home for years..
Some heckled the officers, some wept, while others still attempted to initiate mass prayers.
Clashes broke out as residents refused to vacate the area, though no injuries were reported.
Penjaringan subdistrict chief Abdul Khalit led the discussion between residents, city officials and police.
City representatives attempted to coax the protesters into leaving, urging them to follow up the matter through the courts rather than through protests.
But residents representative Upi replied with anger.
"The courts are on sale to the highest bidder. The procedures take ages too. We will leave this area, but only as corpses ," she declaimed.
Residents demanded compensation from the administration, with some claiming to hold official land certificates.
They refused to be relocated to the rusunawa (low-cost apartments) prepared by the city, and also asked for the eviction to be postponed as they had yet to to pack up their belongings.
One resident, baby in arms, was weeping disconsolately.
"I have family here. The city has offered us a rusunawa unit- but how can my whole family live there?" demanded the woman, who wished to remain anonymous.
The eviction is part of the city's wider plan to clear the Pasar Ikan area, including Luar Batang, home to the historic Luar Batang Mosque . The area is littered with illegal buildings, including homes and kiosks hugging the coastline.
Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama previously said that the eviction was needed for the city to install sheetpiles on the area's riverbanks and coastline as part of flood mitigation efforts.
The city also plans to revitalize the Pasar Ikan and Luar Batang area, home to the Maritime Museum, to create an attractive maritime-based historic tourism area connected to the better-known Sunda Kelapa Port.
At least 4,218 joint personnel were assigned to secure the eviction on Monday, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr.Cmr. Mohammad Iqbal said as reported by Antara news agency. The figure consists of 2,000 Satpol PP officials, 1,389 Jakarta Police officers, 429 officers from the North Jakarta Police and 400 soldiers from the Jakarta Military Command.
Police also deployed two watercannon and one Barracuda. (rin)
