Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – A group of around 200 protesters blockaded the Pondok Pinang-Serpong turnpike all day Thursday to demand long-delayed land compensation from toll road operator PT Jasa Marga.

The protesters erected a tent and erected bamboo poles and banners on a section of the toll road in Ulujami, Tangerang. Unlike in many rowdier rallies, the protesters chose to forgo chants and speeches in favor of sit-down readings of the Koran.

The rally, which started at around 10 a.m., caused a three-kilometer-long traffic jam on the Bintaro-Pondok Pinang side of the road, with cars forced to turn around and use the Bintaro main road.

Protesters still occupied the section of toll road as of 8 p.m. Thursday night.

The Thursday rally was organized by the family of H. Isa bin Baman, who owned a Rp 3 billion part of the 1,700 square meters of land under dispute. The land was bought by PT Jasa Marga for the turnpike project in 2000 but none of the evicted residents have so far received compensation from the state-owned company.

Tension appeared to reach a critical point early in the day when a number of police officers from the nearby Pesanggrahan subprecinct delivered an ultimatum to the protesters.

"If they don't dismiss themselves within an hour, we will force them to leave the location because they have disrupted public order," local police chief Insp. Parulian Sinaga said.

Sinaga said dozens of officers from the mobile brigade, as well as a water cannon, were on the way to help his officers break up the protest.

Under Sinaga's threat, the protesters, represented by lawyer Andi Rivai, agreed to negotiate with Public Works Ministry official M. Tambunan and Hendro Atmojo, the PT Jasa Marga official responsible for overseeing the Jakarta-Tangerang toll road.

Andi said the negotiations, which were held under the protester's tent, failed to reach any agreement. "We will continue occupying the toll road until PT Jasa Marga pay the evicted families," Andi Rivai said Thursday afternoon.