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House that can’t be moved: Owner stands ground despite being boxed dwarfed by skyscraper
The 40-square-meter house stands next to the 45-story Thamrin Executive Residence apartments on Jl. Kebon Kacang, Kebon Melati, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
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Staunch defiance: An old house owned by Elis, 60, peaks out from below an access road to the Thamrin Executive Residence apartment complex in Central Jakarta on Saturday. The owner has refused to sell her house, despite being offered a substantial pay-out. (JP/Narabeto Korohama)
I
t has been more than a decade since her neighborhood turned into a land of skyscrapers. While all of her neighbors have been forced out or voluntarily moved out of the neighborhood, Elis, 60, is the only one to have rejected the transformation.
All these years later she is still holding out.
Her 40-square-meter house stands firmly next to the 45-story Thamrin Executive Residence apartments on Jl. Kebon Kacang, Kebon Melati, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
From the apartment building' s entry gate, the house is seen "buried" with just its old red roof tiles sticking out above road level.
A half-meter wide ramp stretches from the house's terrace to ground level. The terrace is humid and packed with objects, mostly empty water dispenser bottles.
On a still Friday morning, the shadows of people walking past swept the house's front wall and the low-pitched hum of cars was heard, as the house is located next to the apartment's parking area.
