Rights body demands law enforcement in Porsea

Rights body demands law enforcement in Porsea

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has told the
relevant authorities in North Sumatra to enforce the law
seriously against human rights abuses over persistent
controversies shrouding PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL) in Porsea
subdistrict.

"We ask the authorities here to take legal action immediately
when problems surface. People in Porsea, who are opposed to or
support TPL are both involved in human rights abuses," Komnas
HAM member Syamsudin said on Thursday.

"We have found significant violations here," he told The
Jakarta Post after a meeting with North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal
Nurdin and other local senior officials in the provincial capital
of Medan.

The meeting took place after Syamsudin and three other Komnas
HAM members visited Porsea in Toba-Samosir regency, the site of
the pulp mills, to verify reports of human rights violations
there.

During the two-day visit which was the first by the rights
commission since the plant became a public controversy in 1999,
the Komnas HAM members met locals to gather information and data
on alleged rights violations.

Syamsuddin, who chairs the commission's delegation, said law
enforcement should be carried out synergically between all local
government offices and opposing factions in Porsea.

He said his team found human rights violations committed by
both those who were against and those who support the reopening
of the controversial plant as both intimidated one another.

This has created insecurity and lawlessness, Syamsuddin added.
"If this problem is not immediately resolved, the situation in
Porsea will deteriorate."

The violations highlighted by the team include the killing of
two local residents, Hermanto and Panuju Manurung, who were shot
dead during a protest in 1999 to demand the closure of PT Inti
Indorayon Utama, the previous name of PT TPL.

In the same year, Porsea saw similar deaths of three Indorayon
supporters -- Patuan Sitorus, Saut Sitanggang and Suwardi
Sitorus. Their bodies were found in the Asahan River on March 16,
1999.

Another incident, recorded by Komnas HAM members, took place
when the house of Pakkat Manurung was set ablaze by those opposed
to the operation of Indorayon in 1999.

Syamsuddin said the team would discuss the findings further
with other Komnas HAM members in Jakarta before submitting
recommendations on these issues to President Megawati
Soekarnoputri.

He said that if it was deemed necessary, the team was ready to
come back to Porsea for further investigation.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Dewa Astika, who
attended Thursday's meeting, claimed that his office was still
investigating the reported violations, vowing to do the job
professionally.

He and Governor Rizal hailed the Komnas HAM's recommendations
in relation to the protests for and against the operation of the
pulp mills.

"We will carry out the recommendations without any exceptions.
Whoever is found guilty of committing violations will face the
law," Rizal told the Post.

TPL's operations were suspended in 1999 during the leadership
of former president B.J. Habibie, in response to vociferous
protests by local residents and environmental groups.

Locals have alleged that acid rain caused by TPL had
drastically reduced the harvest of rice and other crops, while
toxic gases released by the company were causing respiratory
problems.

In 2000, the government gave TPL permission to resume its pulp
operations. However, the company was not allowed to resume its
rayon operations, in the hope that this would substantially
reduce pollution.

Last month, four Cabinet ministers issued a joint decree
allowing TPL to resume operations immediately. The company said
that it would reopen in March.