GPP chairman calls vandalism, theft of plantations 'alarming'

BANDUNG (JP): Almost 6,000 hectares of plantation land in 32 separate locations in West Java has been vandalized and stolen over the last two years, an official said on Saturday.

Chairman of the West Java chapter of the Plantation Owners Association (GPP) Dede Suganda Adiwinata said here that the situation was alarming and must be stopped soon.

"We are fed up with this. The vandalism has been becoming more serious," he complained. "We have reported it to the local administration, some ministers, the speakers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the House of Representative (DPR) and Ibu Megawati (Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri), but have not received any response."

Dede said the crimes included vandalism, the stealing of land and the theft and destruction of crops, citing the destruction of cocoa plantations in Cilangkahan in Lebak regency; Layungsari in Cianjur regency; and Jampang in Sukabumi as examples.

"Physical clashes between the plantation owners and the thieves may erupt someday," he said.

Dede reported that the land thieves operated in a professional manner. "They (the thieves) sell the plantation land for villas."

Illegal activities such as these have taken place in Gunung Mas tea plantation in Bogor.

The Gunung Mas plantation administrator Doddy Haryadi said he was bored reporting the crimes to local authorities.

"There has been no response. Maybe because the buyers are high-ranking officials the local authorities are reluctant to take action," Doddy said.

The time consuming process of issuing permits for land to be used for business (HGU) had contributed to the vandalism, Doddy said.

The Bogor administration has shown its teeth with an operation code-named Operasi Wibawa Praja, aimed at demolishing 43 villas erected illegally on plantation land belonging to PT Gunung Mas.

The head of the farmers' development section at the agriculture office in Bogor, Prasetyowati, has said her team will enforce the law. "We don't care who owns the buildings."

Prasetyowati did not reveal when the demolitions would begin. Doddy said that some of the owners of the villas were "big guns". (25/sur)