Displaced Bintan farmers seek rights commission help
Displaced Bintan farmers seek rights commission help
JAKARTA (JP): Six farmers from Bintan Island, which has been designated as part of an industrial center in the Riau province, sought the help of the National Commission on Human Rights yesterday to resolve their land dispute with the authorities.
The farmers, who said they were representing 500 families in the Bintan Utara district, complained of intimidation by the authorities to have them removed from their land in return for a meager compensation.
The farmers, accompanied by activists from the Center for Information and Education on Human Rights, were met at the commission's headquarters by Clementino Dos Reis Amaral and his aide P.L. Tobing.
The farmers said they and their forefathers have tilled the land for generations. They showed Amaral the land certificates to prove their ownership.
In 1991 the provincial government began procuring land in the area because Bintan is slowly being incorporated into the industrial zone, with nearby Batam as the center. The government is offering the farmers Rp 100 (four U.S. cents) a meter for their land.
"We're only asking for a better compensation," Imam Nani, one of the six delegates said. Most villagers are willing to move out if the compensation is right, he added.
"We have not been able to plant anything on our land since 1991," Saidi, who led the delegation, said.
Imam said the authorities have been intimidating the villagers into handing over the land titles. Most have refused, knowing that this is the only bargaining power they are left with.
Those who have given up their certificates and accepted compensation are now planning to return the money and want their certificates back, he said.
Amaral said the commission will study the matter and write to the authorities in Riau.
He suggested the villagers file a written complaint and submit copies of their land certificates to the commission.
Saidi said they had reported their case to the authorities in Riau and also the provincial legislative council.
On Wednesday the delegation visited the Agency for the Research and Application of Technology to see its chairman, B.J. Habibie, whose idea it was to incorporate Bintan into Riau's industrial center. (imn)