Residents defend their land

BOGOR: To defend their land, dozens of residents from three villages in Semplak, Bogor, met on Monday with councillors and representatives from Atang Sanjaya air base to reject the latter's claim on their land.

"They can't just throw us out. We don't want to move from the land even if they pay compensation. We have lived there for years," said one of the residents, Basyir, adding that people from the air base were now busy measuring their land.

Bogor councillor Lalu Suryade said that although the Air Force claimed that the 42-hectare plot of land belonged to the state, the residents of Bantarsari, Bojong, and Semplak Barat villages had legitimate documents of ownership.

"The fact is that the residents have lived there for years, and they have documents. In fact, the National Land Agency (BPN) designates the land as a residential area," he said.

Meanwhile, base commander Col. Zulhasymi said that the land was part of a total of 229 hectares allocated by the state for the base in 1960. -- JP