REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said forced eviction at Bukit Duri, South Jakarta is a violation of law and human rights.

"The people have the right to be given livelihood by the government," Komnas HAM commissioner Siane Indriani said,

Siene regretted the government did the eviction. In fact, Komnas HAM had requested the Jakarta Provincial Government to halt evictions and wait until the verdict of class action lawsuit against the proposed Ciliwung River project at the Central Jakarta District Court.

"The Jakarta Provincial Government should wait until the legal process is complete," she said in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, Wednesday (28/9).

Siane said, citizens have the right to live in Bukit Duri. Some of them did not own land certificate due to the difficulty in processing the document. They also considered it expensive.

Before eviction, the residents said Jakarta Provincial Government never had discussion with residents. "The residents are not considered as human," Siane said.

Siane said, in an agrarian law, the citizen are permitted to own a land after occupied it for 30 years without papers. Certificate will only strengthen their ownership if they could provide witness statement that ensure the residents really lived in the same place for 30 years.

Moreover, according to her, the government also has manipulated the residents by "giving" them unit at the low-cost flat (Rusunawa) Rawa Bebek, East Jakarta. "The units were not given, but leased," she said.

Jakarta Provincial Government demolished houses in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta on Wednesday (9/28). The affected area were four community unit (RW) 9, 10, 11 and 12.

The 1,7 hectare ecivted area located at the banks of Ciliwung River and the government has planned to normalize the river as a part of flood mitigation.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said normalization of the river was one of his promise during Jakarta governor election 2012 campaign. He was paired with Joko Widodo, former mayor of Solo, Central Java.

"You already chose me, asked me to handle flood. I gave you my words and I'm committed to it," Ahok said at the City Hall on Wednesday.

According to Ahok, he has no other option but to evict people who lived in the riverbanks of Ciliwung.

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