Villagers protest land annexation

PEKANBARU, Riau: About 500 people from three villages in Bangkinang subdistrict, Kampau Riau regency, came to the Riau governor's office to protest "the annexation" by the Air Force of large tracts of their communal land.

"The Air Force has been using some of 3,200 of our communal land as their shooting range for about four or five years. Despite returning it to us, they are currently occupying some 10,000 other hectares of our communal land, which includes our farms and forests," local figure Bachtiar Darwis said.

"As a consequence, we can't use our land for farming or other purposes," Bachtiar said, adding that Air Force personnel often threatened people who tried to work the land. --Antara