The ongoing Soekarno-Hatta Airport Train project is facing resistance from dozens of residents in Manggarai, South Jakarta, who staged a protest and filed a complaint to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Friday.

The residents, who claim to have been living in the neighborhood since the 1950s, are protesting the planned demolition of their houses to make way for the project.

One of the protesters, Daeng Sadarajab, said the only legal documents they had to support their claim were house purchasing agreements signed by them and the neighborhood unit head.

Despite having no land ownership certificates, the protesters believe the demolition plan is “inhumane” as train operator PT KAI plans to carry out the project without listening to their opinion.

The residents are also complaining about the small amount of compensation offered by PT KAI for their houses and hope that Komnas HAM can mediate talks between them and the company to find a better solution.

In a warning letter made available to The Jakarta Post, PT KAI told residents that they would only compensate them Rp 250,000 ($18.75) for a permanent house and Rp 200,000 for a semi-permanent one.

“Even the cost to build a chicken house is higher than that. The compensation offer is an insult,” Sadarajab told reporters.

After meeting with the residents, Komnas HAM commisoner Muhammad Nurkhoiron said he would ask for PT KAI’s side of the story before making any further moves.

Previously, state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II said the construction of a train station at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, would be completed by the end of March, while the airport railway line would start operating in July.

The train will serve two routes: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Manggarai Station in South Jakarta, which will take 54 minutes, and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Kota Station in Central Jakarta, which will take around 45 minutes.

It is expected that the service will be able to transport 33,000 passengers each day, which is about 20 percent of the 150,000 people flying through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport each day.

Responding to the protest, PT KAI spokesperson Suprapto said the company was the rightful owner of the land. Therefore, all they could give for compensation was Rp 250,000 per house, he added.

Suprapto said the company could face graft charges if it decided to compensate the land based on normal prices because it would be recorded that they had bought land they already owned.

The compensation, he said, was a gesture of goodwill from PT KAI to help the residents move to a new place.

“Only 11 houses will be affected by this project. It is not as many as the residents think,” said Suprapto.

Despite the resistance from local residents, the targeted operation date will not be affected because the Manggarai construction is only a supporting part of the project to renovate Manggarai Station, according to Suprapto.

With the airport train slated to begin operations this year, Manggarai Station will be renovated as PT KAI expects an increase in the number of passengers. The renovation of Manggarai Station is expected to be completed in 2019.

Suprapto went on to say that the first warning letter would be issued soon and the demolition would be carried out shortly after the third letter.

“We need to acquire land in Manggarai for the renovation project to have a better train station. We need to clear these houses,” he added.

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