Shrimp pond owners urged to give locals 5% of yields

TANGERANG (JP): Members of the Armed Forces faction of the House of Representatives have called on shrimp pond owners to share 2 percent to 5 percent of their harvests with local residents to prevent further massive theft.

Leading a visit by House members to a pond in Salembaran Jaya village in Kosambi on Thursday, Maj. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi said the recent shrimp thefts at several ponds by mobs would not have happened if the pond owners had met the traditional custom of giving an adequate amount of shrimps to local villagers.

Shrimp pond owners in the country commonly observe an unwritten rule which allows local residents to collect shrimp remaining in the ponds after harvesting has taken place.

"If in a harvest shrimp owners yield, say, 1.5 tons, the local residents must be disappointed to only get a kilogram of shrimps," Tayo said.

Accompanied by Tangerang Military chief Meris Wiryadi and Kosambi district head Hermansyah, the House members visited a shrimp pond belonging to Herman.

Herman owns some 40 shrimp ponds in Tanjung Pasir and Muara Salembaran Jaya villages.

About 1.5 tons of shrimps were stolen from ponds in the area on July 13 by 2,000 people who raided the area, causing Rp 180 million in losses.

According to Tayo, the incident reflected the disharmonious relationship between businesspeople, the local administration and residents.

He, however, believed the incident was not a crime but only people expressing their disappointment at finding few shrimps remaining in the first pond.

"The residents then took shrimps from the next ponds," Tayo said.

A week after the incident, police questioned 80 villagers before finally naming four people as suspects: two as provocateurs and the other two as looters.

Tayo said pond owners should realize that villagers residing around the ponds "indirectly safeguard the ponds".

He also urged pond owners to, for example, hire locals as security guards in an effort to raise the villagers' sense of belonging.

Sharing Tayo's idea, Kosambi district head Hermansyah hoped the shrimp pond owners could soon restore their relationship with the local administration and villagers.

"The owners haven't met us so far yet," he explained. "Actually the ponds are the assets of the area too." (41/jun)