Robert Go, Jakarta – Jakarta governor Sutiyoso is feeling the heat again, this time for evicting tens of thousands of squatters from government or privately owned land around the capital.

The mop-up operation has in fact been going on all year. But the authorities, joined by unidentified stick-bearing thugs, have stepped up activities since September.

While they target some of the poorest communities all over the city, Jakarta officials have said they are doing everybody a favour by bringing down the shantytowns.

Officials have blamed squatters for various city problems. During severe flooding two years ago, for instance, Mr Sutiyoso pointed his finger at those who settled around Jakarta's rivers and canals, saying squatters reduced the drainage capacity of the waterways.

The governor said earlier this month that he was "upholding public order and the law". He argued that unless addressed now, the squatter problem would spiral out of control.

There have been attempts to soften the blow for squatters. Mr Sutiyoso offered 300,000 rupiah to school-age kids who have lost their homes. Maritime Affairs Minister Rokhmin Dakhuri came up with a plan to resettle hundreds of families of fishermen in other areas of the country. City officials have also promised that several low-cost housing complexes would be built to accommodate those who lost their homes after government evictions.

Non-governmental organisations focusing on poverty issues gave a conservative estimate that as many as 100,000 people have been made homeless in the last two months alone.

Critics said the government rarely delivered on its promises, especially to the poor, and took issue with the authorities' use of force as they cleared target areas.

Local media reports said hundreds of squatters required hospitalisation following the various waves of eviction attempts by the Jakarta authorities.

Ms Wardah Hafidz, head of the Urban Poor Consortium, said what has been made clear yet again by the evictions is the fact that the poor enjoy no legal protection from the government, and have few social safety nets to fall back on. She said: "What's happening is a violation of human rights. Thugs are used to beat people into leaving their homes. Once they're evicted, the government makes no arrangement to help them at all."

Indeed, evictees have reported aid from private donors, but said they have not received any help from government agencies so far.

Legally speaking, the Jakarta administration has the right to evict the squatters. Squatters took over public or privately held land in the late 1990s, at the height of the economic crisis. At that time, government officials condoned the practice but warned squatters that they would have to move in the future if legitimate landowners decided to use the areas.

The Straits Times contacted several of these landowners, but they declined to comment. Real-estate industry sources said land value in Jakarta has risen since a few years ago, and one reason for the evictions is that owners want to build or sell now.

Ms Wardah and other critics said the evictions had nothing to do with cleaning up the city, but were linked to corruption. She alleged: "A landowner two months ago offered 2.4 billion rupiah in compensation to a group of families in one neighbourhood. He said he wanted to build a shopping mall on the land. When the offer was refused, he spent the money on bribing officials and hiring thugs to move the people."