Land document fraud in Tangerang

JAKARTA (JP): Two hundred Jatake, Tangerang, villagers complained to the National Commission on Human Rights about the forgery of land ownership documents.

The fraud was allegedly perpetrated by a man identified as Adi Pranata, who is also known as Theo Soe Kiat.

The residents reported that Adi claimed to be a "Cendana man" -- an obvious reference to the residential address of President Soeharto.

The land for which the documents were forged was occupied by 60 families.

The group's spokesman, Nawiri, told the Commission's Secretary-General Baharudin Lopa, who met with the delegation on behalf of the commission, that in 1985, Adi told them that their land would be appropriated for use in state soybean and corn plantation projects.

"The villagers agreed to accept Rp 300 per square meter of their land because it was for government projects, which they were told they could participate in," Nawiri said.

Adi later used about one hectare of the land for a palm nursery he owned, Nawiri said.

In 1989, the National Bureau for Land Affairs issued land certificates for them, but these were confiscated by Adi, the villagers complained.

The villagers charged that Adi forced them to sign blank sheets of paper when he took their documents.

Nawiri said the villagers were afraid to cultivate the remaining land because Adi, who was said to have paid some military officers to handle the land, warned them not to plant anything there.

Haji Jarun, who said he has not received any compensation, said sand quarriers had started excavating on his property a year ago.

"My land is gone. They took the top soil to be sold and now they are taking the sand, leaving only a big deep hole," Jarun said.

He added that the operators had been served warnings a number of times by the local administration for illegal sand quarrying.

Baharudin Lopa said the commission would took into their problem and contact the parties involved in order to put the case into its proper perspective. (01/03)