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Rawajati forced eviction illegal: Jakarta councilor
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Residents take away their belongings during the demolition of their settlement in Rawajati in South Jakarta on Thursday. The South Jakarta administration evicted the houses of 60 families in the area next to the railway tracks near Duren Kalibata Station and the Kalibata City apartment complex. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
J
akarta city councilor Syarif has said Thursday that the South Jakarta administration’s recent eviction of residents in Rawajati was illegal as there was no official person in charge and no eviction order.
“I asked for the eviction order, but they did not have it,” Syarif said in Rawajati, Pancoran, as quoted by tempo.co, in South Jakarta, on Thursday.
Syarif said the eviction had displaced hundreds of people from about 60 families. He said the decision to evict the residents was made too hastily. “I asked the Rawajati subdistrict head and Pancoran district head about it, but instead of giving me an answer, they ran,” he said.
The forced eviction led to a clash between public order officers and residents and caused traffic congestion near the Kalibata City apartment complex in South Jakarta.
The South Jakarta administration said it wanted to clear the area near the railway tracks at Duren Kalibata Station because people illegally selling goods there was causing traffic jams. The administration said it wanted to turn the area into a green belt.
Residents have refused the administration’s offer to move to the Marunda low-cost apartment complex in North Jakarta, saying that it is located too far away. Marunda is 35 kilometers from Duren Kalibata Station. (evi)
