Land document fraud in Tangerang
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)