Andrew Tito, Jakarta – Police detained at least 69 people on Thursday for allegedly obstructing a court-ordered eviction and repossession of the Sultan Hotel and Residence complex in Jakarta's upscale Senayan district.
The enforcement operation involved more than 3,000 personnel from the Indonesian National Police and the Indonesian Military following a court ruling that the hotel's building-use rights on state-owned land expired in 2023 and were not renewed.
The operation encountered resistance from demonstrators gathered outside the property. Protesters threw rocks, wooden objects, and other projectiles at security personnel as authorities moved to carry out the eviction order.
Despite the years-long legal dispute surrounding the property, the Sultan Hotel continued to accommodate guests, prompting police to conduct an evacuation during the operation.
Jakarta Metropolitan Police spokesperson Budi Hermanto said the number of detainees could rise as authorities continue to identify and process individuals involved in the unrest.
"We have arrested 69 people, and that number may still increase," Budi told reporters at the scene.
According to police, those taken into custody are suspected of obstructing the execution of a court ruling ordering the clearing of the Sultan Hotel site. Some detainees are also suspected of directly participating in actions that triggered the clashes.
Budi said 27 security personnel and two civilians were injured after being struck by objects thrown by demonstrators.
The confrontation marked the latest escalation in a long-running dispute over the Sultan Hotel complex, one of Jakarta's most prominent properties.
Last year, the Central Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of the government, ordering property developer and hotel operator Indobuildco to vacate the site.
The court rejected Indobuildco's lawsuit and upheld an earlier decision that the hotel's land-use rights had expired in 2023. The judges concluded that the state was entitled to reclaim the land and ordered the company to surrender control of the property.
"This ruling is immediately executable, meaning it can be enforced even if the losing party files an appeal," court spokesperson Sunoto said following the verdict on Dec. 1, 2025.
The court also ordered Indobuildco to pay approximately $45.4 million in unpaid land-use royalties covering the period from 2007 to 2023.
In its judgment, the court found that the company no longer had a legal right to occupy the land after the expiration of its building-use rights and held it liable for failing to pay royalties for 16 years.
Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Nusron Wahid has previously stated that the Sultan Hotel has been operating illegally since 2023 because its land-use concession was not renewed.
Indobuildco was initially granted rights in 1971 to develop part of the Senayan area for a 30-year period. The concession was extended in 2002 for an additional 20 years.
The Sultan Hotel, which has more than 1,100 rooms, opened in 1976 as the Hotel Hilton before being rebranded three decades later under the Singgasana Group. The company also developed residential properties within the same area.
Government efforts to reclaim the land began in early 2023 after the concession expired and was not renewed, prompting legal action by Indobuildco. Subsequent court rulings consistently favored the state, paving the way for Thursday's enforcement operation.