Djoko Tjiptono/Swastika & LM, Jakarta – Around 40 representatives of the Indonesian Scavenger's Association (IPI) staged a noisy protest at the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) offices in Jakarta Wednesday. They complained that they had been arbitrarily and forcible evicted by the North Jakarta Police and PT Green Garden.

The representatives of the scavengers, known as pemulung, were met by Nizir Rosul, a member of the Komnas HAM expert staff, in the meeting room of their offices on Jl. Latuharhary, Central Jakarta.

According to IPI leader, Ety Lengkong, around 60 families had worked sorting refuse at the location in Lorotan, Cilincing sub district, North Jakarta since 1982. The community grew but in 1995 the 32-hectare plot was claimed and forcefully taken by PT Green Garden in cooperation with the North Jakarta Police in 1995.

"For this reason, we want to ask for protection and justice because the police as law enforcers have apparently switched function and becomes judges," Ety said with enthusiasm.

This IP leader also strongly condemned the police actions. Ety said officers had burnt nine houses without cause when clearing them off the land. This showed that police officers were not neutral and had been bought, Ety added.

"For this reason we asked the National Police Chief to fire officers involved in that violence and to investigate the legal proof of ownership of the land," Ety concluded.