A much smaller 'war' in Aceh's paradise isle

A much smaller 'war' in Aceh's paradise isle

Lesley McCulloh, Lecturer, Asian Politics, University of Tasmania,
Australia

On the island of Simeulue, a remote corner in the far
northwest of the archipelago, the local people are fighting their
own type of war. This is no war such as the one being waged in
Simeulue's closest neighbor Aceh -- 100 kilometers east by sea.
But it is against logging companies who are intent on exploiting
the island's pristine forests.

More than half of Simeulue's land mass is forest. The logging
companies have arrived, most are majority foreign owned. Their
presence is ostensibly to clear land for plantations, but in the
majority of cases, the plantations never materialize. Most of the
forest is virgin and harbors a wealth of wildlife including nine
different species of monkey. The trees are valuable old wood in
the areas where the concessions have been granted.

For the majority of the population on Simeulue economic
development has been elusive. The people are only just beginning
to waken up to the island's potential. But there is an acute
awareness that protection of the island's natural resources and
beauty is the people's future. Such realization has led to
dispute. One is alerted to this immediately on arrival at the
tiny airport where several campaign posters against the logging
are pasted.

Rauhil Nayan, a local environmental activist said "the
condition of the logging permit granted to the companies in
Simeulue is in all but one case, to clear land for plantations.
But we have no plantations. Also, many of the companies log
outside their areas, so encroaching on land owned by the local
people." A local forestry official countered this by saying that
"the villagers always accuse the companies of this. But the truth
is that the local people don't know the boundaries. There is no
illegal logging by the companies in Simeulue."

On Jan. 2 however, it was reported in Serambi Indonesia that a
ship carrying 1,000 cubic meters of illegally cut wood was
discovered heading to India. Rauhil said that "this wood was not
cut by local people as the forestry department so often suggests.
The locals don't have the capacity. Only the big companies could
do this."

The problem on Simeulue is that most of the roads are unpaved
and the logging areas virtually inaccessible to those unequipped
with special vehicles. On a recent trip to a remote corner of the
island to visit the operations of PT Panto Teungku Abadi a Thai
corporation venture, I found the trucks, earthmovers, chainsaws
and workers standing idle. In the company canteen the workers,
largely Thai, sat around chatting. One worker, speaking on
condition of anonymity said "it has been like this for almost a
month. We have been unable to work because of trouble with the
local people. The last shipment of wood left two weeks ago."

The reason the company is unable to work is that the roads to
the forest have been blocked by people from the local village of
Labuhan Bajau. This is conflict -- Simeulue style. The roadblocks
are flimsy, easily removed. The local police have removed them
twice already only for them to be replaced. Local policeman Yusra
Liddin said "we won't remove the roadblocks again. Most of the
police stationed here are locals, and we agree with the people of
the village."

Head of the village Ali Arman, said that the problems are
numerous. "The land that has been cleared for plantation floods
regularly causing environmental problems. And the company has not
yet paid the Rp 13,000 per meter that it agreed to pay for use of
the road. It has also given very little of the community
development assistance it promised to help build a Muslim school
and to help with the local mosque."

In addition, says Arman, the company does not employ one
person from the local vicinity, so the effect of the company's
presence has 'been more bad than good.' In fact, of the 43
employees registered with the local government office, 27 are
Thai and only 16 Indonesians with only five of these from
Simeulue, but not from the local vicinity. Arman says 'we want
the company to leave, but we also want them to pay what they owe
for the use they have already made of the road.'

Several representations by the people of Labuhan Bajau, a
village of around 2,000 to the local Regent's office in Sinabang
-- the island's capital town -- has achieved very little. So, the
people decided to fight back. The result has been that the local
government is now involved in trying to broker an agreement
between the two parties to the dispute. In fact, the local
regency office is extremely busy with disputes involving the
logging companies on Simeulue. Labuhan Bajau is just one example.

The people of Simeulue know of the wholesale destruction of
forests elsewhere in Indonesia and are determined that this will
not be repeated there. Of course, there are vested interests at
stake. The local government is accused of colluding with the
companies. There is also some evidence to suggest that the local
police and military provide "protection" to the companies, are
paid to ignore the illegal logging and are also involved in
facilitating shipping.

But in Labuhan Bajau, for the time being at least, the locals
have the local police on-side. The police have been paid by the
company to protect their operations, but the police are more
afraid of the villagers than the company.

There are several important questions that arise from this
story. Why are the companies able to log outwith their permit
areas with such ease? How is it possible that 1,000 cubic meters
of wood left Simuelue without local police and military
knowledge? And why, when the Regent issues an order on June 5
2001 that all logging should cease until further permission
granted, was PT Panto Teungku Abadi able to continue until the
locals took the law into their own hands?

The answers lie in the collusion between the companies, the
police and military, and it is alleged, local government
officials. So it seems, even on this paradise island, untouched
by the problems of "mainland" Aceh, the locals have a struggle on
their hands. Fought Simeulue style, it is just possible they will
win and that the beauty of the forests will be preserved.