Farmers jailed for trespass

Farmers jailed for trespass

TANGERANG: The Tangerang District Court sentenced on Tuesday
four farmers who had been working a two hectare plot in Kampung
Bundar, Cikupa district, to nine months in prison for trespass
and destruction of private property.

The four defendants Nurhalim, 30, Balyadi, 37, Rohana, 38, and
Sobari, 57, were found guilty of taking down the fence enclosing
the plot of land where they used to grow rice. The land became
the property of businessman Nurdjaya in November 2003.

Presiding judge Suhartoyo said the sentence was lenient
compared to the one-year sentence sought by the prosecution.

The defendants accepted the verdict.

"We are merely little people ... there is no use protesting
the court's word," one of the four said.

In presenting the case, prosecutor Martha P. Berliana said
Nurdjaya had bought the land from the original owner and
therefore had the right to force the four farmers off the land
and build the fence. She said the farmers had caused the
businessman Rp 1.5 million in losses for the broken fence.

The defendants, on the hand, told the court that they had been
living on the vacant plot since 1969 and continued to manage the
land after the change of ownership, but had received no
compensation from Nurdjaya. -- JP