Polluting company berates residents

Polluting company berates residents

West Java Governor H. Nuriana has rebuked PT Insang Sandang
because the waste it generates has polluted Rancaekek, Bandung
and its surrounding areas.

Unfortunately, when Rancaekek residents came to the office of
PT Insang Sandang to convey to H. Benyamin, the company's general
affairs manager and also assistant director, a letter signed by
Jaja Dipraja, chairman of the community of farmers and fish
breeders in Linggar Rancaekek, Bandung, and Open Afandi, the
secretary, they were roughly berated and then driven out of his
office.

Then Benyamin, through Pak Muin, head of the intelligence unit
of Sumedang Police, threatened to arrest Jaja Dipraja and Open
Apandi.

As a matter of fact, the security guard on duty permitted the
residents to see Benyamin at his office. Later, while driving the
Linggar Rancaekek residents out of his office, Benyamin said that
he had scolded the security guard in the presence of Ayi Mahfudin
of the company's field division.

He also said that he had reported Jaja Dipraja and Open Afandi
to the police and that these two men would be arrested and
detained in prison. He added that Muin was now hunting down these
two persons.

Benyamin also told Linggar Rancaekek residents that the
letters sent to the governor and the President were not written
by Linggar Rancaekek residents and were therefore considered
illegal. Are all this true?

We are writing this letter, therefore, to call on the police
and the authorities not to arrest residents of Linggar Rancaekek,
Bandung because their arrest will have an adverse impact on the
police force itself and on PT Insang Sandang.

It must be remembered that this is the time for reform and
that intimidating residents must be a thing of the past. It is no
longer the time when people are considered ignorant. Neither is
it the time to arrest residents simply because of their critical
attitude.

If the police insist on arresting these two men, they will
have to deal with the local residents, so said a resident who
prefers to remain anonymous.

In fact, the local residents have only one wish, namely that
all factories located around Rancaekek must not dispose of their
liquid waste at any place as this will disadvantage the farmers
and fish breeders in Linggar.

If PT Insang Sandang does not think that they have disposed of
their liquid waste at any place, Benyamin, the general affairs
manager and assistant director, must remain coolheaded when
dealing with Linggar residents. This way the residents will feel
at ease.

SUWANDI

Bandung