BPN to help farmers settle land dispute

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Agrarian Affairs/Chairman of the National Land Agency (BPN) Hasan Basri Durin promised on Wednesday to help settle a land dispute between residents of Malasari village in Bogor and farming company PT Nirmala Agung.

Muhammad Sukendar, representing 360 Malasari farmers, said that Hasan promised to hold the talks involving representatives of the farmers and the firm as soon as possible.

"He has given his word and we are counting on it," Muhammad said after he and nine other farmers were received by the minister at the BPN building in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta on Wednesday.

Muhammad said that the dispute was sparked by Nirmala Agung's refusal to return 350 hectares of land rented from local farmers after the lease expired on Dec. 31, 1997.

"It has taken a total of 19 demonstrations at this building and we finally managed to catch the minister's attention," Muhammad said. "We want our land back," he said.

At the meeting with the minister, the Malasari residents were accompanied by M.H. Sinaga of the Bogor Legal Institute (LBH Ampera), and two representatives from the Indonesian Institute for Forests and the Environment (RMI).

The meeting with the minister, however, was marred by an irresponsible act on the part of BPN employees who closed the building's main gate at 2:45 p.m., thereby preventing other farmers from entering the building.

Agus Setiawan from RMI said that locking the gate was "ridiculous" as even the minister had received them warmly.

The Malasari farmers, together with others involved in land disputes, staged a rally at BPN to demand the return of land previously taken by force.

Other farmers grouped in Indonesian Farmers Solidarity, came from Cibedug in Bogor and Pontianak in West Kalimantan.

The Cibedug farmers asked for the return of 300 hectares from the 750-hectare Tri-S Tapos cattle ranch, managed by PT Rejo Sari Bumi, a company controlled by Soeharto's eldest daughter Siti "Tutut" Hardijanti Rukmana.

Akhmadi from Pontianak said that he represented 350 farmers in his home province who had been cheated by a large plantation company. (ylt)