Gus Dur to meet Bintan protesters<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has agreed in
\nprinciple to receive representatives of villagers in Bintan who
\nare seeking higher compensation for their former land, a Palace
\nofficial said on Friday.<\/p>\n
There has been no fixed date set for the meeting, but the
\nofficial said Abdurrahman, popularly known as Gus Dur, would
\nlikely meet the villagers either on Saturday or Monday.<\/p>\n
\"I only know that the President is willing to accept them, but
\nI am still not sure about the timing,\" the official said.<\/p>\n
An official at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore confirmed
\nthe plan on Friday, although the diplomat acknowledged he too
\ncould not confirm the date of the planned meeting.<\/p>\n
The farmers agreed to stop their five-day demonstration on
\nWednesday, after Riau officials agreed to arrange a meeting with
\nthe President to convey their complaints.<\/p>\n
Thousands of villagers occupied a power plant at the Bintan
\nIndustrial Estate on Saturday, cutting off electricity and power
\nsupplies to about 30 factories on the industrial estate. They
\nalso blocked an access road to the Bintan Beach International
\nResort.<\/p>\n
Backed up by a group of university students, the protesters
\nalso threatened to damage a park if their demand for up to Rp
\n10,000 of compensation for each square meter of their land sold
\nto a consortium of Singaporean and Indonesian companies in 1991
\nwas left unheeded. They claimed to have received Rp 100 per
\nsquare meter at that time.<\/p>\n
The park's management, which is part of Singaporean
\nconglomerate SembCorp. Industries Ltd., has threatened to close
\nit down if the situation spirals out of control.<\/p>\n
Bintan, about 50 kilometers east of Singapore, is a popular
\nweekend resort for Singaporeans, after Batam.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Lt. Gen. Luhut Panjaitan
\nsaid the situation was fully under control. He said Singapore's
\nPrime Minister Goh Chok Tong was closely following the situation
\non the island.<\/p>\n
The riot erupted just one day after Goh had returned from
\nJakarta, where he had promised more investment for the island.<\/p>\n
\"Investors can not be blamed for the dispute because they have
\nfulfilled their obligations,\" Antara quoted Luhut as saying on
\nFriday. (prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gus-dur-to-meet-bintan-protesters-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}