Jambi villagers report continued intimidation in land dispute
Jambi villagers report continued intimidation in land dispute
Jon Afrizal, Jambi
Villagers in the Jambi regency of West Tanjungjabung, who are
fighting to reclaim what they say is their land taken by a rubber
plantation firm, have complained about constant intimidation and
arrests.
They said security authorities, protecting land managed by PT
Dasa Anugerah Sejati (DAS) at Penyabungan village, Tungkalulu
district, often raided their houses and fired shots at them.
At least eight villagers had been arrested from 2000 and 2003
by security officers who accused them of stealing rubber from the
plantation, said Zainal Effendi who chairs the Penyabungan
farmers' group.
However, they later released the detainees after other local
residents pressed for their freedom, he added.
"Besides the arrests, the authorities have even fired shots in
residential areas. Even though it is merely aimed at intimidating
residents, it's very disturbing. They ransacked our houses on
several occasions after making various absurd accusations. Such
intimidation has continued up to now," he told The Jakarta Post.
Zainal said the intimidation started when the villagers began
their struggle to reclaim what they said was their right to 220
hectares of land in Penyabungan in 2000.
The residents, he said, had a strong legal basis for their
assertions based on the Toengkal Oeloe Farmers' List of 1947.
The list was certified by village heads and signed by farmers'
groups stating their right to 26 plots of land, estimated to be
1,100 hectares, in area.
PT DAS has planted the disputed land with high quality rubber
trees. Residents have been taking turns since 2000, tapping latex
in protest over the loss of their land.
There are 46 rubber trees per hectare of land, which can yield
as many as 100 kilograms of latex per day. The rubber fetched Rp
3,500 (40 U.S. cents) per kilogram in 2003.
"Based on that reason (latex theft), the company resorted to
intimidation. We don't really care about the rubber. It's only a
means to get our land back," Zainal said.
He said the local government authorities did not respond
positively to the farmers' complaints of intimidation by the
company.
Local officials have also ignored the villagers' right to the
disputed land, Zainal added.
In an effort to retain its ownership, the company recently
cleared the disputed land and replanted it with oil palm trees.
PT DAS also plans to convert 9,007 hectares of its land into
oil palm plantations in the neighboring villages of Lubuk Terab,
Merlung, Pematang Pauh, Badang, Kampung Baru, Taman Raja,
Pelabuhan Dagang and Lubuk Bernai.
However, according to Zainal, based on Law No. 12/1992 on
plantation system, the company must obtain permission from the
government before converting their rubber plantations.
So far, PT DAS is authorized under its concession to only grow
rubber and cocoa on the land, he added.
Jambi's Oil Palm Investigation Network spokesman M. Sulthoni
said the matter was being dealt with by the relevant agencies,
adding that his group could take legal action against PT DAS to
challenge its land conversion plans.