Thousands protest land decree

Thousands protest land decree

SEMARANG: Approximately 5,000 farmers in Central Java
protested here on Friday against a controversial decree on land
procurement for development projects.

The protesters, from the regencies of Batang, Pekalongan,
Kendal, Pati and Semarang, arrived in trucks at the Central Java
National Land Agency.

They are opposed to Presidential Regulation No. 36/2005, which
allows the government to take over land needed for development
projects if the owners refuse the offered compensation.

"This is like what has happened to farmers in Tugurejo,
Semarang and Demak. They were evicted and their ownership of
their land revoked even though the question of compensation had
not been settled. That is a bad precedent for us," said Saiful
Umam, who chairs the Central Java Farmers Organization, which
organized the protest.

He said the protesters were demanding the new decree be
revised or revoked. --JP