Dairi villagers take their case to Feisal

Dairi villagers take their case to Feisal

JAKARTA (JP): Villagers from the Dairi regency in North Sumatra took their case of a land dispute that turned violent to Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung yesterday.

Representatives of the villagers and their supporters met with Feisal, although only for a brief period, after an all day quest that first took them to the Armed Forces (ABRI) headquarters on Jl. Merdeka Barat and then to the House of Representatives (DPR).

They found the general at the DPR building where he was holding a hearing with Commission I.

They waited patiently until the hearing was over and then forced their way through the mob of reporters trying to interview Feisal as he was leaving the House.

Some of the Dairi villagers managed to shake hands with Feisal. One old woman even managed a peck on the general's cheek.

Feisal responded that he would look into their case, which was also discussed by legislators during the hearing.

The villagers came with a petition which they had hoped to present to Feisal. The petition was their attempt to draw his attention to their allegation that the local military in Dairi had been biased in their handling of the dispute.

Last night, supporters of the Dairi villagers said they hope to meet with Feisal again today in order to explain their position in greater detail.

The villagers are from Parbuluan where a land conflict has been brewing in recent weeks between the villagers and a private plantation company which has been trying to buy their land.

Even the villagers are split on the issue. One camp endorses the sale while another opposes it. The conflict became ugly in when the opposing groups recently clashed, leaving a number of villagers injured.

Some of them have been arrested by the military. (swe/imn)