Lampung people threaten to take over palm plantation

Lampung people threaten to take over palm plantation

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

Following a violent clash with security personnel on Thursday,
hundreds of striking workers from a PT Budi Dharma Godam Perkasa
(BDGP)-owned oil palm plantation in North Lampung have threatened
to take over the 2000-hectare plantation because of the
management's failure to end a prolonged land dispute.

The workers, the majority from Blambangan Pagar village,
demanded that Team 13, assigned by the provincial administration
to handle land disputes in the province, invite the plantation's
management to the negotiating table before they acted.

"We give two weeks for the team to help solve the conflict. I
cannot prevent residents from occupying the company's office and
taking over the plantation if no solution is found," Syahrur,
head of village, told reporters on Saturday.

Several striking villages were injured in a clash with police
at the plantation on Thursday in efforts to press the management
to negotiate with the workers.

Activists Tony Damanik and Adenin, who are believed to have
urged the villagers to go on strike, are still at large.

It was the second clash between the villagers and security
personnel. The first occurred in 1998 when former president
Soeharto stepped down. No casualties were reported in the
incident.

The communal land was appropriated by force by the former
military-style New Order regime and handed over to a Jakarta
businessman for the oil plantation.

Under former president Abdurrahman Wahid's tenure, the
villagers questioned the land's appropriation and demanded the
management pay fair compensation.

Syahrur said that in several prior negotiations, the
management committed to giving eight percent of its annual
profits to the villagers but, so far, nothing had been paid to
the land's owners.

"As land owners, we have received nothing from the management
who have enjoyed the company's profits for many years. We have
been abandoned," he said.

Thoyib, a villager, said all residents had agreed to a meeting
after the clash, but would take over the plantation if the
management failed to fulfill its promise.

Armen Yasir, a member of Team 13, regretted the company's
failure to realize its commitment to give eight percent of its
annual profit to the villagers.

"We have pressed the management to fulfill its promise but it
has breached it. My team will not take responsibility for any
incident in the future if the villagers run amok and occupy the
company's office," he warned.

According to The Jakarta Post's data, there are 350 land
disputes in the province and most have yet to be resolved
peacefully.

During 2000, eight people, including three police personnel,
were killed in clashes between locals and security authorities in
two land disputes with palm oil plantation company PT Bangun Nusa
Persada and a shrimp pond company respectively in Tulangbawang
Regency in the province.