Bogor residents protest over low compensation
BOGOR, West Java (JP): Over 100 families from the Cibentang village in Bogor, 30 km south of Jakarta, protested Monday the low compensation they would get for their properties which they have to give up to make way for an electrical installation project.
A spokesman for the families, Uwan Sutiawan, said the villagers were not satisfied with the compensation they got from state electricity company PT PLN.
"We are willing to quit our property only after we receive reasonable compensation," Uwan said.
PT PLN is appropriating 91,800 square meters belonging to the villagers to build pylons to support 500 kilovolt overhead cables.
Uwan said the villagers had got Rp 400 million (US$170212) compensation from PT PLN compensation for their tropical fruit trees like durian and rambutan, which were the communities economic pillars, Uwan said.
Uwan, who owns 30 durian trees which earn him at least Rp 7 million ($2978) a year, said the families had not yet got any compensation for their land and houses which authorities would soon demolish.
He said the villagers demanded at least Rp 40,000 a square meter of land, Rp 25 million for permanent houses, Rp 12.5 million for semi-permanent houses and Rp 6.25 million for shacks.
There are 22 permanent, 41 semi-permanent and 2 shacks in the village.
Sixty-five families own land and houses which will be affected by the project while 37 have only land which will be affected..
Head of the West Java and greater Jakarta Electricity Network Project Aman Subagio Rachman was unavailable for comment.
He previously said a 1992 Ministry of Mines and Energy regulation stated the government did not have to compensate for land and other properties where high-voltage electricity cables passed.
Aman said in a letter to villagers they had to leave their houses and land for their own safety.
However, lawyers at the Nusantara Legal Aid Institute, who give legal council to the villagers, said the ministerial regulation was not in accordance with Law No. 15 1985 on energy plants.
"The law guarantees compensation for land and houses which are passed by an energy plant's electricity cables. Therefore, the regulation should be dropped," lawyer Bismo Pratonggopati said.
Bismo regretted PT PLN, which awarded the contract to PT Bukaka, had asked the Bogor Military Command to evict the villagers.
"The military's involvement has prompted the villagers' rage," he said.
"We have persuaded the villagers not to be reactive when the military officers conducted coercive operations. I told them to talk with the military officers, instead," Bismo said.
He said the villagers were provoked by the military's presence last Friday when 11 villagers were injured in a clash with soldiers. One person was seriously wounded. An institute lawyer was also injured. (07)