Angry farmers burn down more buildings in Jember
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)