“With a heavy heart, after negotiation with the [evicted] residents, we will file complaints to the Indonesian Ombudsman and a [lawsuit] to the court,” the residents’ lawyer from the Cakra Nusantara Legal Aid and Advocacy Institute, RA Siregar, said on Thursday.

He claimed that his side had attempted to negotiate with the city administration as the residents, who have lived in the place for decades, refused to move out despite the land being owned by the state. Moreover, there was no discussion initiated by the city administration prior to the issuance of three warning letters and another letter requesting the residents to move out.

“We have met the [Bekasi] Spatial Agency. All this time, there was no negotiation but one-way communication with the conclusion that residents do not have rights over this land,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

“The court will be the last resort,” he said.

Siregar explained the institution had filed a request dated July 12 to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) for mediation. The commission sent a letter to the Bekasi mayor on July 23.

Bekasi Spatial Agency spatial control department head Azhari said his side was not worried about the planned lawsuit.

“We provide them room to sue us regarding [land] ownership,” he said.

The Public Works and Housing Ministry, through the Bekasi administration, evicted more than 50 families residing on the land to run a normalization project for the Jatiluhur River.

The evicted residents and Bekasi Public Order Agency officers clashed on Thursday at around 8.45 p.m. when the eviction was about to begin. (sau)

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