Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Residents of Temon district, Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta, sent a letter on Monday to airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I (AP I) in Jakarta to demand that it halts the eviction process that will make way for the New Yogyakarta International Airport.
The residents, grouped under the Association of Residents Rejecting Forced Eviction, also sent a copy to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in their latest bid to defy the land acquisition.
Their lawyer, Teguh Purnomo, said the land acquisition was not in line with the 2012 law on land procurement for public facilities because it rejected compensation for some residents.
Teguh quoted the Yogyakarta office of the Ombudsman, which said AP I had mismanaged the land execution on Nov. 27 and 28 last year.
As of Monday, about 300 people are still rejecting the eviction. They said their land was not for sale and that they rejected the compensation offered by AP I.
The Kulon Progo administration and AP I have pushed for the eviction. Regent Hasto Wardoyo said those people who were defying the order would have to vacate the land. "As soon as possible," he added in a text message.
AP I general manager Agus Pandu Purnama said the airport was set to start operating by April next year and that AP I wanted the residents to vacate the land for "the interest of many people".