KPA: 19 Indigenous People in NTT and Legal Counsel Criminalised
The Secretary General of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), Dewi Kartika, has revealed that 19 indigenous community members and their legal counsel have been criminalised in an agrarian conflict in Nangahale, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
“Throughout 2024, a total of 19 indigenous people, including legal advocates, have been criminalised,” Dewi stated at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday. This information was presented during a public hearing with Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI).
Furthermore, John Bala, an advocate and member of the National Council of KPA and the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN), is also facing criminal proceedings. “Currently, three individuals—Antonius Toni, Leonardus Leo, and Ignatius Nasi—along with John Bala, who is an advocate and part of the National Councils of both KPA and AMAN, are held as suspects,” Dewi explained.
The conflict traces back to 1926, when an ‘erfpacht’ right was issued to the Catholic Church. In 1975, this right was converted into a Business Cultivation Right (HGU) and transferred to PT Diad, before eventually being transferred to PT Krisrama. Dewi noted that the issuance of this HGU is highly problematic, as the Indonesian Ombudsman has previously identified maladministration in the process.
Despite these findings, the conflict persists. Dewi highlighted that in 2015, the demolition of 120 indigenous community houses took place, involving the Indonesian National Police and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI).
During the forum, Dewi also criticised the involvement of police forces in various agrarian conflicts. The KPA has called upon Commission III of the DPR RI to advocate for a more humane resolution approach and to end the practice of criminalising farmers and indigenous communities. The consortium is urging the Commission to support structural conflict resolution through constructive dialogue and to stop the use of police officers as ‘backing’ for private corporations. Additionally, the KPA is pushing for the DPR RI to conduct field investigations into several agrarian conflicts across various regions, including the Nangahale case in NTT.