Police detain 40 over ‘plantation camp mob’

Police detain 40 over ‘plantation camp mob’
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan | Fri, 01/20/2012 9:42 AM

The South Tapanuli Police in North Sumatra detained 40 people on Thursday for an alleged crime linked to a land dispute.

The detainees were alleged to have carried out an arson attack that damaged offices, houses and cars owned by plantation company PT Tanjung Siram in Sigompulan district, North Padang Lawas regency.

The arrests sparked anger from hundreds of residents, most of whom were relatives of the incarcerated. They converged on South Tapanuli Police station to inquire about the fate of the detainees.

North Sumatra Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Heru Prakoso said that the 40 arrested people were unharmed, but that they were being questioned.

“The police are still questioning them. That’s why none has been released, because the investigation is still ongoing,” Heru told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Asked about the status of those held, Heru said that none of them had been named suspect.

“There are no suspects yet as they are still being examined,” Heru said, adding that 83 other people would be examined in connection with the arson attack and vandalism.

Hundreds of residents from Aek Kanan and Padang Matinggi villages attacked the office of PT Tanjung Siram in North Padang Lawas on Jan. 1. They set fire to dozens of workers’ lodgings as well as office building and four cars.

“The damage incurred by PT Tanjung Siram is estimated at Rp 1.5 billion [about US$176,000],” Heru said.

While the police were still investigating the motive behind the attack, there was a rumor abounding that locals had resented the presence of the plantation firm in the area.

They demanded that the company hand over its business license (HGU) for its plantation land, claiming it had expired in 2010.

Heru said that the legal owner of the 450-hectare HGU land was PT Tanjung Siram, a fact that had been held up by the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court ruled in favor of PT Tanjung Siram two years ago,” he said.

A community figure in Padang Matinggi village, Ramli Ritonga, claimed that the land was owned by around 213 families. He acknowledged that the dispute between the residents and the company had been ongoing since the 1970s.

“The residents have long harbored a grudge against the company. The [tensions] reached a climax on Tuesday when they attacked the company,” said Ramli, adding that the disputed land had initially been customary land.