The following aritcle comes from the Jarkarta Post and I found it through
Borneo Orangutan Survival UK (www.savetheorangutan.co.uk)
They have 'to the minute' news articles, alerts and TAKE ACTION'S regarding
orangutans survival which also by extension encompass issues regarding deforesta-
tion, palm oil production (and more), and future biofuel production.
Quite a lot info can be gleaned there-these folks are doing a great job of
informing the rest of us.
Link: Human rights body finds rights abuse in Riau land dispute
The Jakarta Post.
Human rights body finds rights abuse in Riau land dispute
Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post | Sat, 03/08/2008 12:11 PM | The Archipelago
The National Commission of Human Rights has found human rights
abuses in the
prolonged land dispute between the Sakai tribe and
forestry company PT Arara
Abadi in Riau, Sumatra. Chairman of the commission's fact-finding team, Jhony
Simanjuntak, said the Sakai people had lost their right to live
peacefully and safely
because of the company's continual intimidation.
He said the company deployed security personnel and trained
dogs to drive away
farmers working on the disputed land and to
intimidate children traveling to and
from school.
The team, which visited the land early this week, found dual
ownership of certain
enclaves had triggered the dispute. The Sakai
people have lived in the 10 villages
and have farmed the surrounding
areas in Bengkalis and Siak since 1830. They
were granted official
ownership of the land in 1940 by the Sultan of Siak. PT Arara
Abadi
obtained the forest concession in 1996.
"When the company came in, it did not know the Sakai people
were living and farm-
ing in the enclaves, which has caused a dispute,"
said Jhony at a press conference
at the Governor's Office here
Thursday.
According to the fact-finding team, the Sakai tribe should be
recognized as the
land's rightful owners under the 1999 Forestry Law.
However, the tribe has not
sought legal protection because of the
complicated bureaucratic process involved.
The law guarantees the Sakai
people's right to the land but approval from the gov-
ernment is also
required.
"Government approval has proven difficult to obtain because the criteria it sets
is unrealistic," said Jhony.
"The conflict has become complicated because many farmers have
claimed plots
of land which were also included in the forest
concession. Land claims have led
to the arrest of many farmers and, in
this case, Arara has no authority to make
arrests. Instead, it should
maintain its assets, including the land in the forest
concession," he
said.
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