Angry farmers burn down more buildings in Jember

JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of angry tobacco farmers in Jember, East Java, continued venting their anger at a government's plan to take over their land for a plantation project, reports said yesterday.

In the latest incident on Wednesday, the farmers from the Jenggawah subdistrict burned down a shop, an office and eight motorcycles at the company's headquarters in Jenggawah.

They also attacked the land affairs office and assaulted the office's chief Indro Budi Waspodo, Kompas daily reported. They stop rioting only after the local government called in scores of policemen and troops. No arrest was reported.

The farmers have tilled the state land for decades. They have the right to use but not own the 2,800 hectares of land, which rightfully belongs to the state-owned Plantation company, PTP-27.

The incident was the latest in a flurry of clashes involving farmers and the plantation company over the status of the land.

On Sunday, the farmers burned down 21 storehouses on the grounds of the company. On Tuesday, hundreds of farmers picketed the regency office against the possible detention of 13 others by the military.

They were unhappy with the land agency's 1994 decision to shift the right to use the land from them to the plantation company.

The Jember military commander Lt. Col. Jasmin Senos said the peasants primarily targeted company's assets and Indro was the only government official harmed.

Indro was beaten up when a dialog between him and the farmers turned emotional after they found him to be inconsistent in his statements.

He was forced to admit that he had endorsed the transfer of the right to till the land from the farmers to the company. He eventually admitted that the right to tilling 200 of the 2,800 hectares of land had been awarded to the company.

Animosity between the farmers and the government over the land ownership dates back to 1978 when angry farmers also burnt down the company's assets.

Under the prevailing arrangement, the farmers are required to sell their tobacco to the company. The villagers have often charged that the firm has often failed to honor its obligations, which has also added fuel to the people's mistrust of the company, Kompas reported. (anr)