Indonesia: City defies evictees' basic rights, says rights body

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) blamed the Surabaya administration for violating human rights by evicting 470 residents from illegal houses and buildings in two separate locations.

Commissioner Kabul Supriyadie said he had visited the eviction locations and discovered that human rights violations.

"I have asked the Surabaya administration to study the eviction policy," he told The Jakarta Post.

"The city administration should not conduct any further eviction in other areas before providing decent housings for the evictees."

Kabul said he had recommended so that Komnas HAM deploy a special team to solve the problem. He also suggested that Komnas HAM mediate between evictees and Surabaya Mayor Bambang Dwi Hartono.

"The Surabaya administration should provide the housing soon," said Kabul.

Residents were evicted from 350 houses along the Kalimas River and Jl. Nias along the railroad track. Erma Susanti, an activist from the Oppressed People's Network (Jerit), said the majority of the 470 evictees were still living in roadside shelters.

She said there were 215 children and 15 pregnant women among the evictees.

"Most of them suffer from breathing and skin problems," she said. "Some of them also lost their jobs while 70 per cent of the children are being traumatized and have stopped going to school."

Erma said the evictions has caused losses of Rp 42 billion (US$4.03 million) to the residents, including social, health, economics and recovery costs.

East Java Governor Soekarwo said he approved the evictions as residents had breached regulations by occupying illegal housing. He also said the provincial administration would provide low-cost apartments for the evictees.

"We have, however, reminded the Surabaya administration to also take care of the evictees," he said.

Evictees from Jl. Nias said they had paid "security" money to public order officials, but were still being evicted.

"We pay between Rp 300,000 to Rp 400,000 to those officials every month," said Warsito, who heads the Karya Nias Jaya traders' association.

Meanwhile, spokesman of the state railway operator PT Kereta Api's Surabaya Operational Area, Sugeng Prijono, said the illegal buildings were too close to the railroad track area.

"The buildings were only two to three metres from the railroad track," he said. "Law No. 23/2007 on Railways stipulates the safety area should be six metres from the center line or 12 metres from both sides," he said.

Date: 11 May 2009

Source: Jakarta Post