Jakarta – People whose homes are to be demolished to make way for the construction of a new runway at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, have blocked Jl. Perimeter Utara near the project site in protest, claiming they have not received the agreed upon compensation.
The residents said they had not received compensation from state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II.
"We want our rights [to compensation]. Where are the Angkasa Pura II employees," the protesters shouted while burning a used tire, tempo.co reported.
The protest on Monday lasted from the morning until the afternoon with the police standing by. The protest also caused traffic jams on the road to Teluk Naga district and Dadap subdistrict in Kosambi, Tangerang.
The protest's coordinator Wawan Setiawan said that 715 of the 145 households in several neighborhood units (RT) and community units (RW) had not received compensation.
He said the residents had been asked to vacate their houses between July 1 and 8. The compensation had been decided in 2016 but has not been paid. Wawan added that the residents would continue to block the road until their demands were met.
"We are no longer talking about how much the compensation should be, but are demanding it be paid quickly so we can move. We are just demanding our rights," Wawan said on Monday.
Responding to the protest, Angkasa Pura II vice president of corporate communication Yado Yarismono said the compensation had yet to be disbursed as several plots of land were still subject to a legal dispute over overlapping claims.
"We are currently in a consignment process at the Tangerang District Court," Yado said. (ami)