Local NGOs challenge Walhi over Bulukumba land dispute
Local NGOs challenge Walhi over Bulukumba land dispute
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A leading environmental non-governmental organization (NGO), the
Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has faced a
challenge from other local NGOs in its efforts to help settle a
land dispute between PT London Sumatra and villagers in Bulukumba
regency, South Sulawesi.
The long-standing dispute sparked a violent protest on July
21, 2003, against the rubber plantation company, in which at
least three villagers were shot dead by police.
Many local male residents were forced to flee to a nearby
forest as police hunted them down after the violence.
South Sulawesi Police questioned the Bulukumba Police chief
and other local senior officers over the deaths. However, it
remains unclear whether they have been charged with violating
procedures when they fired shots at the protesting villagers.
The provincial branch of Walhi has urged Central Sulawesi
Police chief Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani to resign over his
failure to settle the Bulukumba case.
However, a number of activists from local non-governmental
organizations rejected Walhi's move against the provincial police
chief, saying what the environmental group had done had strayed
from its own task of defending the ill-fated Bulukumba residents.
The activists, including Abdul Rasyid, Zohra Andi Baso, Sufri
Laude, Asmin Amin, Abdul Azis Paturungi, Makmur, Misfahuddin and
Khudri, issued a joint statement on Friday to oppose Walhi over
its demand for the resignation of Jusuf.
In response, Walhi's South Sulawesi office director Indah
Fatinaware said on Saturday her group would press ahead with
"monitoring and criticizing" the police over how they might
resolve the Bulukumba incident.
"We shall go ahead because we believe that we are taking the
right approach," she told Antara in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Indah said that had the opposing activists continued to follow
the dispute between PT London Sumatra and the local residents,
they would not have issued such a statement.
"The statement has been made because they are afraid of
certain parties," she said, without mentioning any names.
"For sure, our task is not to stray from the core problem or
violate existing procedures. Here we shall see who is really
committed to struggling for the rights of the people and
resisting intimidation."
Walhi said terror and intimidation continued against local
people, who claimed their ancestral land had been occupied by PT
London Sumatra.
"Police officers even launched raids on a humanitarian post at
Bonto Biraeng village (Bulukumba) on Oct. 4 and Oct. 9, 2003,"
said a press statement from Walhi's central office in Jakarta.