Gus Dur to meet Bintan protesters
Gus Dur to meet Bintan protesters
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid has agreed in
principle to receive representatives of villagers in Bintan who
are seeking higher compensation for their former land, a Palace
official said on Friday.
There has been no fixed date set for the meeting, but the
official said Abdurrahman, popularly known as Gus Dur, would
likely meet the villagers either on Saturday or Monday.
"I only know that the President is willing to accept them, but
I am still not sure about the timing," the official said.
An official at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore confirmed
the plan on Friday, although the diplomat acknowledged he too
could not confirm the date of the planned meeting.
The farmers agreed to stop their five-day demonstration on
Wednesday, after Riau officials agreed to arrange a meeting with
the President to convey their complaints.
Thousands of villagers occupied a power plant at the Bintan
Industrial Estate on Saturday, cutting off electricity and power
supplies to about 30 factories on the industrial estate. They
also blocked an access road to the Bintan Beach International
Resort.
Backed up by a group of university students, the protesters
also threatened to damage a park if their demand for up to Rp
10,000 of compensation for each square meter of their land sold
to a consortium of Singaporean and Indonesian companies in 1991
was left unheeded. They claimed to have received Rp 100 per
square meter at that time.
The park's management, which is part of Singaporean
conglomerate SembCorp. Industries Ltd., has threatened to close
it down if the situation spirals out of control.
Bintan, about 50 kilometers east of Singapore, is a popular
weekend resort for Singaporeans, after Batam.
Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Lt. Gen. Luhut Panjaitan
said the situation was fully under control. He said Singapore's
Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was closely following the situation
on the island.
The riot erupted just one day after Goh had returned from
Jakarta, where he had promised more investment for the island.
"Investors can not be blamed for the dispute because they have
fulfilled their obligations," Antara quoted Luhut as saying on
Friday. (prb)