Angke squatters refuse to leave after eviction

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Many squatters were still refusing to leave the area surrounding Angke train station in West Jakarta on Friday after their makeshift houses were destroyed by a team of police and public order officers Thursday.

The squatters were evicted from the area as part of a joint effort by state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api (PT KA) and the local administration to revitalize Jakarta's railway tracks.

Hundreds of squatters lived in the area surrounding the station before the operation, with those who have refused to leave using pieces of plywood to make temporary shelters.

During the eviction, squatters threw stones at the officers as they pushed forward and started destroying their homes. Four people were arrested in the incident, with one man caught carrying a weapon.

PT KA's head of public relations Akhmad Sujadi said 300 shacks were demolished in the operation Thursday. He said the company planed to return to the area on Jan. 22.

"We will evict those who insist on staying and might put up fences to prevent them from coming back," he said, adding that the company also planned to plant trees in the area.

On Wednesday, 210 illegal shacks underneath an elevated railway line in Cikini, Central Jakarta, were also demolished.

The city-wide railway revitalization project is being carried out to ensure the safety of train passengers, Sujadi said.

He said some squatters had built shacks as close as 20 centimeters from railway lines.

Recent reports have indicated that many Jakartans are reluctant to use the city's train services due to poor sanitation at train stations and along railway tracks.

On Saturday, PT KA will clean up the area near Juanda train station in Central Jakarta, Akhmad said.

He said the company would also focus on clearing the stretch of track between Angke and Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta as well as between Rajawali and Kemayoran in Central Jakarta.

PT KA said evicted squatters were entitled to free train trips back to their hometowns as well as Rp 100,000 (approximately US$11) if they contacted their district or subdistrict chief.

However, Akhmad said only four people had taken up the company's offer for a free train ride since the eviction.

Nasitem and Teguh, a married couple with children and grandchildren, remained on the plot of land their house used to stand on Friday.

Teguh has worked in Jakarta as a scavenger since 1973 to support the couple's five children and three grandchildren, who live in Purwokerto, Central Java.

Teguh said he would be ashamed to return to his hometown without any money, so he and his wife decided to stay in the area until they could meet with a PT KA representative.

"To be honest, if they gave me Rp 500,000 that would be enough and we would take the free ride home," he said.

Nasitem said she did not mind leaving Jakarta, but would only do so if she could take money home to her children.

"I do want to leave. I miss my children and my grandchildren, but I can't go back without any money," she said.

Usup, another evicted squatter, was not planning to leave the area in a hurry.

"I am not leaving this place. I work here and I live here. What about my furniture?" he asked. (anw)