8 arrested in plantation fray<\/p>\n
BOGOR (JP): Police caught eight men on Friday from among some
\n200 armed locals who were vandalizing the 3,000-square-meter
\nGunung Mas tea plantation in Blok Panjang at Cibereum village,
\nCisarua district.<\/p>\n
Bogor Regional Police detective chief Capt. Budi Prasetya
\nidentified the eight as Dede, Kusmawan, Pepen, Abdul Latif, Jimi,
\nLobi, Odang and Munawar.<\/p>\n
"They are allegedly the instigators and were paid by a land
\nbroker named Basir. Basir has reportedly fled to Malaysia," Budi
\nsaid, adding that each man acknowledged to having been paid Rp
\n1,000 per square meter to vandalize the tea plantation, run by
\nstate-owned PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN VIII).<\/p>\n
Land brokers have tried to evict tea farmers in order to
\noccupy the land by cultivating it with banana or cassava before
\nselling the property to interested parties who wish to turn the
\nplantations into villas or other buildings.<\/p>\n
"Based on our investigation, the land buyers are none other
\nthan high-ranking officials in the West Java administration and a
\nminister," Budi said.<\/p>\n
According to official data, some 402 hectares of a 2,500-
\nhectare plantation run by PTPN VIII were destroyed, causing Rp
\n9.7 billion in losses.<\/p>\n
Gunung Mas houses a total of 1,700 hectares of tea plantations
\nlocated in eight villages, namely Tugu Selatan, Kopo, Citeko,
\nCikupa, Sukamanah, Sukagalih, Sukaresti and Sukalaya. (21\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/8-arrested-in-plantation-fray-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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