Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – It appears that unemployed villagers are not the only ones who stand to gain from the series of disruptions to Indonesia's richest oil fields in Riau province.

On Monday, angry villagers set fire to oil wells of PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia to demand for land compensation. Local authorities and Caltex staff stepped in quickly and eventually managed to contain the fires before they could take hold.

Last month, Caltex's production was halted in several places as nearby residents set up road blocks, burned cars and demanded positions with the oil giant or one of its contractors.

While having legitimate grievances, some villagers appeared to be backed by other shadowy groups whose aims ranged from creating political disturbances to possibly scaring off their business opponents.

Mr Syaparuddin, one of the organisers of the Caltex protests, claims he is helping unemployed locals to gain employment with the company. But his wide array of connections and friendships raises doubts that these demonstrations are fuelled purely by altruistic motives.

Supported by 3,000 young men who have been trained in the art of demonstrating, he recently organised a protest against a Caltex contractor, which included burning 20 cars. He works with a local Islamic group, the United Riau Indonesia Forum (Urif), which launches raids on discos or entertainment spots or suspected red-light venues in Riau's capitol Pekanbaru.

He claims to also have friends in the radical Islamic group, Laskar Jihad, which is responsible for a wave of killings in Maluku. And his boss, Mr Rusli Hamid who is the head of Urif, has links with the potential business competitors of Caltex, such as Mr Jody Enoch.

Next year, when a contract for one of the oil fields currently drilled by Caltex is re-negotiated, companies such as Mr Jody's could benefit. Up for grabs is the right to exploit 25 oil wells which produce 25,000 barrels a day, for at least the next 15 years, says Caltex.

This business opportunity, says a source in state-owned oil giant Pertamina who has worked closely with Mr Jody, is one of the factors behind the recent rise in demonstrations.

According to Mr Jody, his small contracting company only extracts oil for Caltex and is not a business competitor. Both Mr Jody and Mr Syaparuddin claim there are no financial connections, just moral support for Mr Rusli Hamid's campaign to gain more employment for natives of Riau.

Local journalists are not sure if the demonstrations are supported by local political interests, Jakarta-based interests or just by the desire to make some money from local businesses.

Industry watchers say they are concerned the recent rise in demonstrations in the resource-rich province will only increase as control over mining and oil contracts becomes murkier with decentralisation next year.

"A lot of officials at district and provincial level look at the decentralisation as an opportunity to dip their hand into the cookie jar," said an analyst from an international business consultancy.