Villagers block road project in Lampung
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung
Hundreds of residents of four villages in Lampung blocked Sumatra's east coast highway on Friday to protest a road development project there.
The blockage did not cause a traffic jam as all vehicles passing through the highway were rerouted to alternative roads. However, around 50 trucks belonging to developer PT Sangyong, which is involved in the project, could not operate.
Protesters from Tambah Subur, Tambah Dadi, Tanjung Kesuma and Taman Negeri villages, in Purbolinggo district, demanded the Lampung administration pay six families a total of Rp 150 million in compensation for land that has been used for the project.
In August last year, hundreds of Purbolinggo villagers received compensation for land that was used for the project, but the six families missed out.
Mashuri Abdullah of the Lampung Legal Aid Institute said the local administration paid Rp 7,500 in compensation for every meter of land used for the project.
At least 247 families of nine villages in Way Bungur and Purbolinggo, who had been powerless to bargain for a higher price, accepted the offer, he added.
Hundreds of residents of seven other villages have not been compensated for their land, which was affected by the development of a 186-kilometer road in Lampung.
Officials claimed the East Lampung administration had disbursed some Rp 3 billion of a total of Rp 10.8 billion to clear land for the project since two years ago.
However, Mashuri quoted data from the East Lampung legislative council as saying that the local administration had disbursed Rp 1.4 billion from the regency's 2001 budget, Rp 1.9 billion from the 2002 budget and Rp 2.2 billion from last year's budget to pay the villagers for the land.
"We suspect irregularities in the payment of compensation. People are asking where the allocated funds have gone, particularly money from the 2001 and 2002 budgets. In its report, the local government said the money had been spent on compensation," he added.
Lee Wun from PT Sangyong said his office had nothing to do with the compensation scheme. "This matter is the responsibility of the East Lampung administration," he argued.
The road project was designed by the government to overcome transportation problems on the Sumatran highway stretching from South Lampung to Aceh province.
The project was approved by governors in Sumatra, who became responsible for land clearance. The project is funded by the state budget, with loans worth Rp 550 billion from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
In Lampung alone, the project involves at least 186 kilometers of road, which is aimed at smoothing traffic along the Lampung- Palembang-Jambi-Pekanbaru-Medan route.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri inaugurated the road development project during her visit to Terbanggi Besar, Lampung, on Tuesday.