A Dipta Anindita/GB, Jakarta – Around 500 protesters from 13 urban communities in Jakarta staged a rowdy demonstration at the Provincial Legislative Council on Monday. They claimed their land had been illegally seized by police backed by hired thugs to make way for a new railway line.
By mid-afternoon, representatives of the demonstrators and the Urban Poor Consortium were in meetings with several councilors. Other demonstrators moved into the lobby of the Council chambers to wait patiently.
The demonstrators originate from urban villages or "kampungs" along the rail lines between Jakarta, Bogor and Bekasi such as: Kampung Karanganyar, Teluk Gong, Kampung Sawah Semper Timur, Kebon Indah, Kebon Pisang, Kampung Rawa, Kebon Sayur, Cipinang Cempedak, Kampung Luwuk, Pedurenan and Pulo Gebang.
Slamet, a resident of Karanganyar, told Detik that they were devastated by the seizure of their land and destruction of their property carried out by the provincial government on behalf of the state-owned railway enterprise PT Kereta Api Indonesia.
He said the seizure began three days ago. "First, nine trucks full of fully armed Mobile Brigade officers, Fighters of the Front for the Defense of Islam (Laskar FPI) and other people paid off by them came. Based on the negotiations, only the residents who received their compensation had their lands marked," Slamet said.
According to the authorities, 48 receipts have been received by the residents to the value of Rp 1-7 million. However, according to Slamet, only five of the kampung's residents have signed the receipts.
"The rest were signed falsely noting the names of residents so that they could immediately move into our land," he said. That afternoon, he continued, they moved in and marked off all the land in Karanganyer.
"Yesterday they dug up the land to make the permanent places for the rails. All the land of the residents has been bulldozed," he said sadly. "When they evicted us we only read the work order, they would not even give us a copy," he added.
At the moment, 337 families or around 1225 people have lost their homes and most of their possessions. Residents from the other kampungs now await their fate.
According to Wardah Hafidz, head of the Urban Poor Consortium who accompanied the demonstrators, the eviction in Karanganyar is the first recorded incident of forced evictions carried out since the downfall of the New Order regime of disgraced former dictator Suharto.
"If this kind of thing continues, it means we've regressed to the New Order. This is clearly a test case for the provincial government. If we just keep quiet, this problem will go on and on," Wardah said.
The demonstrators, many of them now homeless, were determined to stay at the Council chambers until the matter is resolved and their demands met. "We want a place to live for all of us or compensation for our land and family possessions which were destroyed," cried one of the demonstrators.