Porsea remain tense, hundreds take refuge
Porsea remain tense, hundreds take refuge
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
The situation in the North Sumatra town of Porsea is still tense
with hundreds of local people taking refuge following the week-
long riot in which 17 locals, including two church ministers,
were arrested.
More and more police personnel supported by the local military
were deployed to enhance security in the small town in connection
with increasing protests against the planned re-operation of pulp
sawmill PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), the new name of troubled PT
Inti Indorayon Utama (IIU).
The executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the
Environment (Walhi) in North Sumatra, Erwin Nasution, said many
residents of Porsea had gone to Pae Radja in Tarutung, North
Tapanuli, to take refuge since security personnel were
intimidating local people opposed to the sawmill's planned re-
operation.
"Most people are living in fear following the arrest of 17
protesters and continued intimidation," he said, adding the
number of refugees was expected to increase as people continued
to be threatened.
Erwin said locals had been threatened with arrest and
prosecution unless they stopped protesting against the operation
of the sawmill.
The 17 residents were arrested for their alleged involvement
in the ransacking of the office of the head of the Sirait Uruk
district early last week.
Chief spokesman for the North Sumatra Provincial Police, Sr.
Comr. Amrin Karim denied the allegations of intimidation on
Monday, saying security personnel were deployed to restore
security and order and to enhance security in the town.
"Our main task is to restore security and order and protect
national assets and the local people due to the increasing
protests at the sawmills," he said, citing that police had no
interests in the sawmills.
Asked to comment on the arrest of protesters, Amrin said they
were arrested because they ransacked the district office
building. He said those who orchestrated the ransacking were
identified as Musa Gurning and Krisman.
Hundreds of local people staged a demonstration early last
week to protest the resumption of operations at TPL following the
government's decision to temporarily halt its operation due to
environmental and social problems.
The local people which were supported by a number of local
non-governmental organizations and several churches, have
rejected the sawmill operation as they fear it would result it
environmental and social problems as it had done in the past.
The IIU had been blamed for waste water that has polluted
Asahan River. The factory has polluted the air, according to
local residents, causing skin diseases and respiratory problems.
The company which was built with the approval of officials
from president Soeharto's regime had faced protests for its
insignificant contribution to the local development program in
the past. The company has also failed to carry out a social
development program for local people living around the plant.
Walhi in cooperation with the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human
Rights Association (PBHI) has set up a team of lawyers to
accompany those arrested.
Jhonson Pandjaitan who led the lawyers' team, said he would
file a lawsuit against the police for the arrest his team
considered was conducted arbitrarily.
"The arrest was conducted to pressure local people and their
leaders so that they will no longer protest about TPL's
operation," he said.