Residents protest intimidation

JAKARTA (JP): Around 50 residents of Plumpang, North Jakarta, went to the National Commission of Human Rights yesterday reporting "intimidation" by a private company.

Representatives said the firm, PT Pangsetuluhur, had allegedly started constructing a building and fence on a plot that is in legal dispute with them, and had hired at least 160 people to "back up" the construction.

"They often intimidate the residents," spokesperson Masta Tarigan said without elaborating.

"We ask the commission to check it out," he said.

Residents of subdistricts Rawa Badak, Tugu Selatan and Kelapa Gading Barat, asked for protection from the company's actions.

A legal dispute between residents and state-owned oil company PT Pertamina over a 160-hectare plot reached the Supreme Court after the High Court ruled in 1993 that only 132 of 1,132 plaintiffs had a right to the land.

Representatives said 150 families in Tugu Selatan, 100 in Kelapa Gading Barat and 300 in Rawa Badak were still living in temporary shelters.

The commission's secretary-general Baharuddin Lopa said he would seek confirmation from the company's management. (anr/05)