Mass plundering at plantations

SEMARANG: Some 1,000 hectares of plantations belonging to state and private companies in the provinces have been plundered or occupied in the past year, costing the firms hundreds millions rupiah in financial losses.

Executive chairman of the Association of Central Java and Yogyakarta Plantation Companies, R. Soetono, said on Wednesday the crops mostly affected were coconuts, cacao beans, coffee beans and rubber.

"I don't know the motives behind the plundering, but I suspect the move was sparked by disappointment or abuse of the reform spirit for personal purposes," Soetono was quoted by Antara.

The association has established an advocacy team to cope with the matter, and called on the police to prevent further plundering in the future.

"If the case is left unsettled, I'm afraid only a few investors will be willing to put their money in agribusiness here," Soetono said.