Farmers and students protest over land policies

Farmers and students protest over land policies

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of farmers, students and activists
marked Agrarian Day on Thursday in several cities throughout the
country with street protests, blasting the government for
policies they claimed had dispossessed thousands of small
landholders.

In Bogor, West Java, at least 500 farmers and activists took
to the streets to protest the appropriation of their lands by
real estate and golf course developers. The group, which included
students from Bogor's Pakuan University and activists of the
AMPERA legal aid institute, called themselves the Indonesian
Farmers' Solidarity (STI).

They demanded the government to return the land to the
farmers.

"Give the land back to the people", read a poster carried
during the protest in the compound of the Bogor residential
administration office.

The protesters also accused former president Soeharto of
kicking farmers off their land to build a cattle ranch.

The farmers came from the villages of Tapos, Cijayanti and
Malasari in Bogor regency, Cimacan village in the West Java town
of Cianjur and Rancamaya village in Bogor mayoralty.

The protesters demanded that Soeharto and his cronies be
brought to court for the forcible seizure of their lands.

"Try Soeharto and his cronies who have caused losses to
farmers and the people," their statement read.

"Stop building golf courses and real estate on productive
farmland," it also said.

The group staged the protest under a drizzling rain, charging
that firms had abused state power during the Soeharto era to
appropriate agricultural land.

The protesters claimed that in 1974, Soeharto had forced
farmers off their land with little compensation to build his
sprawling "Tri S" cattle ranch in Tapos near Bogor.

"Tapos is evidence of Soeharto's wealth", read one poster
carried by the protesters, some of whom had swarmed back into
Tapos in July and planted crops.

In Jakarta, more than 300 students and farmers braved light
rain to stage a rally in front of the House of Representatives
(DPR) while dozens of police officers and soldiers stood watch.

Jimmy, the protest's coordinator, was quoted by Antara as
saying the farmers came from North Sumatra, Aceh, East Java, the
West Java towns of Cibaliung and Pandeglang and the Central Java
coastal town of Pekalongan.

The protesters made fiery speeches, dancing and singing to the
beat of traditional drums.

Posters and banners were also unfurled, some reading: "Farmers
suffer because development's gone on wrong direction" and "Uphold
human rights, return our lands".

The farmers were joined by students from the University of
Indonesia.

In the West Sumatra capital of Padang, another group of 200
farmers accompanied by activists from several non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) rallied outside the governor's office to
protest various land disputes there, AFP reported.

They protested the conversion of farmer's lands and the
opening of forests on Mentawai island, off the coast of the
province, for private oil palm plantations, a widespread practice
in West Sumatra over the past several years.

The province has in past months seen incidents of farmers
attacking oil palm estates and other projects that had taken over
their land without adequate compensation.

The demonstrations came amid protests that the government is
dragging its feet in its investigation into allegations that
Soeharto had illicitly amassed a fortune during his 32 years in
power.

It was the second consecutive day of farmer protests. On
Wednesday, similar protests were also staged in North Sumatra's
capital of Medan and in Bali.

The protest in Medan was by far the biggest, with several
thousand farmers and students participating. The farmers demanded
the return of their land forcibly taken by private companies with
the backing of government authorities.

On Thursday, also at the governor's office in Medan, hundreds
of farmers again staged a similar protest.

Back in Jakarta, the government called for public cooperation
concerning idle private land that nearby residents have illegally
cultivated for additional food during the crisis.

State Minister of Land Affairs Hasan Basri Durin stated that
while the government understood that people needed land to till,
there were also rules to follow.

"Otherwise, things will get chaotic," he said at a news
conference in his office after commemorating the 38th anniversary
of the Basic Agrarian Law.

"We hope cultivators will organize themselves, contact the
local (government) administration, cooperate with land owners ...
it's hoped that we can allocate some financial assistance in the
regional budget," he said.

Durin said his office would help the people to simplify the
process of such cooperation. (21/24/ivy/aan)