Infoshop, 04-05-014

Eviction of squatters turns ugly in Batam, rioting erupts

Fadli, Batam

A riot erupted on Thursday when police and public order officers tried to evict more than 400 illegal houses on the industrial island of Batam , Riau province.

At least two people were shot by police and seven others were beaten, while several cars including two belonging to television stations, were burned or damaged during the unrest.

The violence forced local traders to close their stores for fear they would be attacked.

The clashes started after public order officers assisted by police personnel arrived at around 9 a .m. to bulldoze the illegally constructed shanties in Tanah Longsor, Lubuk Baja subdistrict.

However, hundreds of squatters violently resisted the attempt to evict them from their shacks, which were built on a 10-hectare site belonging to housing developer PT Cikitsu.

The local administration promised to pay the squatters Rp 2 million each, but they refused to move.

Instead, the squatters pelted stones at the security officers, wrecked one of their trucks and set ablaze a car belonging to the Batam Authority's security directorate.

The rioters also damaged two cars belonging to two private television stations, SCTV and Metro TV.

In response, police officers fired shots at the rioters, wounding two of them, who were later identified as Freedy, 28, and Safredi, 20.

Seven other people were also slightly injured in the clash. However, all nine victims were allowed to leave the two local hospitals where they were being treated some hours later.

SCTV and Metro TV cameramen said they tried to flee the violence in their cars, but the enraged rioters stoned their vehicles.

Toni, a squatter, said the local residents refused to accept the compensation from the Batam municipal administration, labeling the amount on offer as derisory.

The riot ended after around three hours when Batam legislative council speaker Soeryo Respationo intervened and asked the representatives of the squatters to restart negotiations at the council building in Batam Center .

The talks, which were convened later in the day, decided to delay indefinitely the planned eviction of the squatters.

Barelang deputy police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Heru Winarko told The Jakarta Post that at least two persons were being questioned for allegedly inciting the unrest.

"We are questioning two persons. We have not yet determined whether they will be treated as suspects or witnesses," he said.

The security situation in Tanah Longsor returned to normal in the afternoon, though dozens of automotive repair and spare parts shops had to close.

The building of illegal shelters, now numbering more than 40,000, has been a long-standing problem in Batam, which is located some 20 kilometers away from neighboring Singapore .

The squatters, mostly from other provinces, began to establish their settlements illegally when the island was made an industrial zone during the administration of former president Soeharto.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20040514.A01&irec=3

Squatters try to hold Batam to ransom

National News - May 15, 2004

Fadli, Batam

Squatters in Tanah Longsor, Batam, who had earlier rejected the compensation offered by the local government in return for their vacating a site owned by the state, continued to press their demands on Friday for more money before they would agree to go quietly.

Meanwhile, Fredy, 28, who was hit by a police rubber bullet in the right leg, and Safredi, 20, who was hit by a rubber bullet in the abdomen during a riot by the squatters on Thursday are still being treated by the outpatient unit of a local hospital.

According to Afrizon, a community leader and the neighborhood chief in the area, the injuries suffered by the two men were quite serious.

He complained that the government had ignored the demands by the squatters for what they considered reasonable compensation, and that it was this that had led to Thursday's disturbances. He said that low compensation on offer from the government was the main cause of long-standing problems regarding the eviction of illegal squatters in Batam.

"The government paid no notice to the people's demands for adequate compensation. They directly brought in the bulldozers to destroy our homes. We had to stop them. As they wouldn't back down, we had to defend ourselves," said Afrizon to The Jakarta Post.

According to Afrizon, who said he had been abused by the police, the government team, which consisted of officials from the Batam Authority, Batam municipality, the police and the prosecutors' office, had offered compensation of Rp 300,000 (US$35) and a plot of land measuring 6 X 10 meters to each household head.

"We rejected this and unanimously agreed to demand Rp 2.5 million per family. If they pay us this, we will vacate the area," he said.

According to Emi, 45, who has lived at the site illegally for 11 years, the money on offer was not enough even to move her few sticks of furniture to new accommodation.

As no agreement had been reached between the squatters and government negotiators, Emi said, they had decided to remain on the site, which has an area of 10 hectares and is located in Tanah Longsor, Lubuk Baja subdistrict.

The site, which is inhabited by various ethnic groups, including Batak, Palembang and Minangkabau people, was still tense after the riot on Thursday. A group of men were seen loitering at the entrance to the area.

The squatters began to build their shanties when the island was declared an industrial zone by the Soeharto government.

Meanwhile, Batam Authority spokesman Dwi Djoko Wiwoho said that the government would press ahead with the evictions.

He said that the demand for Rp 2.5 per household head was untenable.

"In the light of the disturbances, we are now discussing the matter with the Batam legislature, but the eviction plan will still go ahead. The area in question is not zoned for residential purposes, but rather for the service sector," said Djoko. He did not say when the next attempt to evict the squatters would be made.

In the meantime, the local legislature's deputy speaker, Soeryo Respationo, said that an official letter had been sent to the government team to delay Thursday's eviction attempt. But the letter had been ignored. "Basically, the actions of the administration have not been approved by the legislature," Soeryo said.