Bogor farmers demand their land back<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): At least 270 farmers staged a rally outside the
\nNational Land Agency (BPN) in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, to
\ndemand the return of lands taken from them by force and by
\nstealth.<\/p>\n
The farmers, who were grouped in the Indonesian Farmers
\nSolidarity, came from Malasari and Cibedug in Bogor and Pontianak
\nin West Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
At 4:10 p.m., three BPN officials offered to meet a delegation
\nof 23 farmers who had requested a meeting with State Minister of
\nAgrarian Affairs Hasan Basri Durin. However, the officials were
\nrebuffed, with the farmers insistent that only Hasan would
\nsuffice.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Sukendar, who claimed to represent 150 farmers from
\nMalasari, complained that PT Nirmala Agung had refused to return
\n350 hectares of land rented from farmers in the area after the
\nlease expired in 1997.<\/p>\n
\"PT Nirmala's right to use the land ended on Dec. 31, 1997.
\nBut even though we have held 18 demonstrations at this building,
\nwe have yet to receive any response,\" Muhammad said.<\/p>\n
\"The land belongs to us. Right now, Malasari farmers are only
\nearning Rp 2,000 a day. The company has offered us work for Rp
\n6,300 a day, but that's not what we want. We want our land back.\"<\/p>\n
Around 100 farmers traveled from Cibedug to ask for the return
\nof 300 hectares from the 750-hectare Tri-S Tapos cattle ranch.<\/p>\n
Abdul Hakim, who was representing the Cibedug farmers, said
\nthat thousands of people in the area were suffering from food
\nshortages but were prohibited from farming land on the ranch.<\/p>\n
The ranch is currently managed by PT Rejo Sari Bumi, a company
\ncontrolled by Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti \"Tutut\" Hardiyanti
\nRukmana.<\/p>\n
\"Today Soeharto is being interrogated at the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office, so we are staging this demonstration to push
\nhis family into giving us our land back,\" Abdul said.<\/p>\n
Cibedug villagers farmed the disputed 300-hectare site from
\n1942 until 1972. The remaining 450 hectares belonged to farmers
\nfrom adjacent villages.<\/p>\n
Akhmadi from Pontianak, who was accompanied by 20 farmers from
\nWest Kalimantan, said that he represented 350 farmers in his home
\nprovince who had been cheated by a large plantation company.<\/p>\n
He said that in 1989, the farmers gave 1,000 hectares of land
\nto PT Kalimantan Barat Sanggar Pusaka (PT KSP) to develop an oil
\npalm plantation on the condition that they would each later
\nreceive 2 hectares of the developed land.<\/p>\n
\"We agreed that once the entire site had been planted, we
\nwould each receive two hectares, leaving PT KSP with 300
\nhectares,\" Akhmadi said.<\/p>\n
\"However, the company went behind our backs and acquired
\nrights to the whole site in 1994. We want them to honor the
\noriginal agreement,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The farmers gathered at the Al-Azhar mosque on Jl. Kebayoran
\nBaru before heading for the BPN building at 1:30 p.m. (ylt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bogor-farmers-demand-their-land-back-1447893297",
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