Sugar Group responses

Sugar Group responses

Referring to your article "Lampung Governor Urged to Resolve
Land Dispute" dated Oct. 3, 2002, we would like to express both
our deep disappointment at the false accusations leveled at our
company and our amazement at the unprofessional behavior of your
reporter. The report contains many errors of fact, and draws a
series of distorted, misleading and plainly false conclusions
about the Sugar Group Companies.

We are completely baffled as to how The Jakarta Post could
publish such an error-ridden article which is clearly libelous
about our Companies, while never once contacting us for comment.

To illustrate just some of the gross inaccuracies in your
article:
* You described the Pamswakarsa as being formed by vigilantes
hired by the Companies to torture villagers. This is absolutely
false, not to mention libelous. On the contrary, the Pamswakarsa
formation was requested by our unionized workers to protect them
and their families against criminals entering the Group's
plantation and factory properties. Before the Pamswakarsa was
formed, there were many incidents in which our workers were
robbed of their money during payday in the Group's plantation
area. In other cases, our plantation workers were beaten and
attacked with machetes by intruders when working in the field.
Also contrary to what you reported, members of the Pamswakarsa
were recruited from the Group's own employees.
* The reported claim by Bakung Udik villagers that PT ILP has
occupied some 7,000 hectares of their land without compensation
is also false. The land where PT ILP and PT SIL plant their
sugar cane was previously forested land owned by the Ministry of
Forestry. For securing the rights to convert the forest area into
plantation area, PT ILP has fully paid and compensated the
Ministry of Forestry, according to the law. In addition to
payments to the Ministry of Forestry, the company has also
compensated all villagers with legitimate claims. With regards to
the Rp 3 billion PT SIL promised to pay, the fund remains in
escrow because there were three individuals trying to falsely and
wrongfully represent and act on behalf of Tegamoan people by
forging their documents. They are currently missing and on the
police force's wanted list.

We trust you will share with your readers the real story
accurately according to facts. We also beseech you to respect the
central rule of journalism: always check both sides of a story.

IRWAN ANG
Sugar Group Companies