According to the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN, in its Indonesian acronym), at least 20,000 people will have to be displaced for the construction of the new capital.
Indigenous and local communities in Indonesia reported that they are being pressured to vacate their lands for the construction of Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, in an area where approximately 20,000 people are estimated to reside.
In a statement, the Civil Society Coalition (KMS, acronym in Indonesian) of East Kalimantan, in the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, indicated that some residents in the area received letters ordering them to vacate their lands within seven days, although authorities later stated that they had withdrawn the orders.
The KMS labeled the orders as “abusive” and denounced that the intention of forced eviction of indigenous and local communities recalls the abuses under the dictator Suharto (1967-1998) and even during the colonial era under the Dutch.
“The attempts to demolish buildings and coerce indigenous and local communities to abandon their ancestral lands are a violation of their right to life and a space to live,” stated the NGO.
Herdiansyah Hamzah, a Law professor at the University of Mulawarman in East Kalimantan, indicated that about 200 people received eviction letters on March 4, although authorities reversed course.
“The crux of the matter is that the requests for residents to vacate their own lands, the demolition of their homes, is only a matter of time,” lamented Hamzah.
According to the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN, in its Indonesian acronym), at least 20,000 people will have to be displaced for the construction of the new capital in the province of East Kalimantan, in southeastern Borneo.
Residents in the lands where Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, is being built reported on Wednesday that they are being pressured by authorities to vacate their plots.
The Indonesian government announced in April 2019 the plan to relocate the administrative capital from Jakarta, on the island of Java, and chose two districts in the eastern part of Borneo island, despite environmental concerns related to deforestation and pollution in the area.
Jakarta, which is around 40% below sea level, is sinking at an average of about 7.5 centimeters per year, according to official estimates, one of the fastest rates on the planet, causing frequent flooding, traffic jams, and pollution.
The current Indonesian capital has a population of around ten million people, its rapid growth outpacing the adaptation of its basic infrastructure.
The development of Nusantara is estimated to cost around $34 billion to Indonesia and is planned to be inaugurated this year, although its construction will not be completed until 2045.
