Farmers seek rights body help<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Six men claiming to represent 500 families in
\nKedung Ombo, Central Java, sought help from the National
\nCommission on Human Rights yesterday to secure higher
\ncompensation from the government for their land.<\/p>\n
The Kedung Ombo farmers lost their land late 1980s when it was
\ninundated by a World Bank-funded reservoir project. Living on the
\nfringes of the reservoir, the farmers are still demanding that
\nthey be fairly compensated.<\/p>\n
The six men from the Sragen regency were Gito, Wiharto, Darto,
\nKarno, Somat and Daryoto.<\/p>\n
\"We have contacted the regional government and the House of
\nRepresentatives to discuss the problem, but there has not been
\nany reply so far,\" Darto said.<\/p>\n
The Kedung Ombo reservoir displaced over 60,000 families. Most
\nhave accepted the compensation offered by the government.<\/p>\n
Others strongly resisted being relocated. They finally had to
\ngive in, but have continued their battle for a better deal
\nthrough the courts, by marching on the House of Representatives
\nand by visiting the human rights commission yesterday.<\/p>\n
Darto alleged that even those who accepted the government
\noffer were given less than they owed. Citing the case of his
\nfather, he said only 10,480 of his 16,210 meters of land were
\ncompensated.<\/p>\n
He said that most families were told to sign the land
\ncompensation agreement in which the governor decreed prices
\nranging from Rp 250 (US$0.11) to Rp 500 (US$0.23) as square
\nmeter, depending upon the land's function and use.<\/p>\n
Darto said that most villagers did not resist the government's
\noffer because they feared being labeled as anti-government. (03)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/farmers-seek-rights-body-help-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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