Violence at Jenggawah<\/p>\n
The name Jenggawah has surfaced again. As in 1978, farmers
\nagain unleashed their fury in Jenggawah in the Jember district,
\nEast Java. And just as 17 years ago, the farmers were demanding
\nsettlement for their land which was taken over by the government-
\nowned agricultural estate PTP-XXVII.<\/p>\n
This land dispute, which had been left to fester for 17 years,
\nfinally erupted into acts of violence committed by the farmers.
\nThey burned down barns and houses owned by PTP personnel. The
\nviolence died down for a few days, but than flared up again.<\/p>\n
To conciliate the farmers the chief of the Brawijaya military
\ncommand, Maj. Gen. Imam Utomo, together with the East Java chief
\nof police, Maj. Gen. Rusmanhadi, went down to Jenggawah for a
\ndiscussion with the farmers. Still, the fury erupted again as no
\nclear settlement was in sight.<\/p>\n
It is easy to imagine how the farmers will fare if the land
\nwhich is their only source of livelihood is taken away from them
\nwithout giving them any alternative means of living. As their
\nself-control is lost in this search for alternatives which are
\nnowhere in sight, acts of violence such as those that have
\noccurred at Jenggawah are easily committed. This would be all the
\nmore true if the land take-over is done in an attitude of
\narrogance.<\/p>\n
We do not want to be overhasty in concluding that the fault in
\nthe Jenggawah case lies with PTP-XXVII. What we do regret is that
\nthe search for a settlement between the farmers and PTP has been
\nallowed to drag on for so long. The violence would not have
\noccurred if only a judicious and speedy settlement could have
\nbeen achieved.<\/p>\n
-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/violence-at-jenggawah-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }