T

he alleged indiscriminate demolition of historical buildings in Medan has continued with the Tembakau Deli building, built in 1899, reportedly becoming the latest victim.

The building is one of those that shows the legacy of the Dutch colonial era in the city.

Local activists and historians have protested against the demolition and plan to file a report to the National Commission on Human Rights.

“We are afraid all historical buildings in the city are slowly disappearing because most of them are not protected by a bylaw,” historian Erond Damanik of the State University of Medan told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

He said that 30 percent of a total of 600 historical buildings in the municipality had been demolished while another 35 percent had been left unattended for years, which made it more likely they would suffer the same fate.

He said that of the 600 historical buildings, only 42 were protected by a bylaw.

Sukamulia penitentiary building, built in 1903 by the Dutch colonial administration, turned into a hotel in 2003.

A Dutch colonial plantation office building, built in 1899, was destroyed in 2004 and another hotel has since been erected on the site.

A number of store houses in Kesawan, built in the 1890s, have experienced the same fate, with the office of the Analisa Daily now standing in their place.

The Tembakau Deli building, which used to be a hospital belonging to state-owned PT Perkebunan Nusantara II, was reported to have been silently pulled down despite the fact that the building met characteristics of heritage structure, according to Law No. 11/2010.

Head of the State University of Medan’s Center for History and Social Science Studies, Ichwan Azhari, said he was surprised when a number of former employees of the recently defunct hospital said that the building was being demolished.

”This cannot be allowed to happen because a historical building deserves preservation,” Ichwan said.

Johan, a former hospital employee, said that demolition work had been done on the building’s corridor, archive room and the VIP room, following the official closure of the hospital in January this year.

“I heard that a hotel or a hospital of an international standard will be built there,” he said.

Former head of the hospital’s administration division, Joni Sembiring, denied allegations of the demolition, saying that the building was still intact.

Officials from the municipal administration declined to comment on the matter.