Farmers to sue governor over dam<\/p>\n
SEMARANG (JP): Twenty farmers in Central Java are continuing
\nwith their struggle to obtain decent compensation for their land,
\nwhich was appropriated to make way for the Kedungombo dam.<\/p>\n
The dam, one of the government's most controversial projects
\nin the last 20 years, has been in operation for six years. The 20
\nfarmers of the Boyolali regency have filed suit against Governor
\nSoewardi, accusing him of violating a home affairs ministerial
\ndecree on land compensation.<\/p>\n
They also demanded the state confiscate, as collateral, the
\ngovernor's Rp 7 billion official residence, and compensate them
\nRp 375,936,882 for material and immaterial damages.<\/p>\n
"I have received the farmers' lawsuit and it will be processed
\nwithin the next few days," said Soeharto, head of Semarang
\nDistrict Court, yesterday.<\/p>\n
The World Bank-funded Kedungombo dam attracted national and
\ninternational attention in early the 1990s as farmers, supported
\nby students and human rights activists, accused the government of
\nintimidating and forcing them to give up their land.<\/p>\n
Farmers who refused to surrender their land were branded
\ncommunists. At least 5,268 families were forced to move and
\noffered low compensation. The World Bank was also under fire for
\nits failure to persuade the government to pay the farmers more.<\/p>\n
The Central Java governor at the time was Ismail. Soewardi
\nassumed the post in 1993.<\/p>\n
"The governor offered us between Rp 302 to Rp 405 per square
\nmeter of land. The compensation price set by the Ministry of Home
\nAffairs was Rp 3,000 per square meter," said the farmers' lawyer
\nMuhammad Syahrir.<\/p>\n
When the dam was officially opened by President Soeharto in
\nMay 1991, more than 600 families still demanding better
\ncompensation. Soeharto said their protests were futile.<\/p>\n
The government cleared 9,529 hectares of land in seven
\nregencies, 7,288 hectares of which belonged to local residents.
\nThe rest was state property.<\/p>\n
The dam cost Rp 152 billion, with Rp 28.2 billion coming from
\nthe state budget, Rp 32.5 billion from Exim Bank of Japan and Rp
\n91.9 billion from the World Bank. At least Rp 69 billion was
\nspent on land compensation for the 5,268 families living in the
\narea.<\/p>\n
The project was aimed at preventing floods in Grobogan, Demak,
\nKudus and Pati. The dam generates up to 22.5 million megawatts of
\nelectricity and irrigates at least 75,000 hectares of rice
\nfields.<\/p>\n
The Central Java governor could not be reached for comment on
\nthe lawsuit. (har\/06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/farmers-to-sue-governor-over-dam-1447893297",
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