Protection for farmers' right sought

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Farmers Federation (FSPI) said on Wednesday that it would submit a proposal to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) to issue a promise on the protection of farmers' rights.

FSPI secretary-general Henry Saragih said the proposal had been endorsed by various farmers' associations in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brazil.

"We know it will not be easy to issue an international pledge but we must fight for it because so far it is only farmers who don't have international protection," he said.

The UNHCHR'S annual meeting started on March 17 and will end on April 25, but the FSPI will attend the meeting from March 29 to April 2.

FSPI will also call on the UNHCHR to issue a resolution to help stop violence against farmers, such as those in Bojonegoro, East Java, Wonosobo, Central Java, Sosa, North Sumatra and other areas. -JP