Yemris Fointuna and Oyos Saroso, Kupang/Bandar Lampung – Hundreds of residents from six ethnic Timorese groups in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) occupied the El Tari Airport in Kupang on Tuesday, claiming the airport was built on their land. They said the Air Force had robbed them of 540 hectares of land where the airport sits.
They began their protest in the morning, once trying to break onto the tarmac before being held back by the police and security guards from airport administrator PT Angkasara Pura.
The rally, the second in a month, did not disrupt flights although passengers who arrived at 6 a.m. local time were held up at the entrance gate before being ushered inside when authorities ensured the protest would not disturb security.
Samuel Saba'at, a Timorese elder, said ownership of the 540-hectare land belonging to the six ethnic groups was transferred to the Air Force, based on a certificate issued by the Municipal Agrarian Agency in 1992 without their knowledge. "Our land has been stolen by the Air Force, now we are claiming it back," Samuel said.
The protesters promised to continue their rally and threatened to break into the airport to halt operations if their demand was not fulfilled. "If the government does not respond to our demand, we will come in bigger numbers," he said.
Their first rally last week was marked with the slaughter of a pig, whose blood was then drifted by winds over the airport. They said the ritual was a request for a spirit to come and help in their struggle.
The Air Force denied the land annexation allegation. "We did not steal the land. Let's go to court. We have legal certificate of ownership," Joko Winarko, an officer in charge of Kupang airbase, said when contacted by The Jakarta Post.
Meanwhile, the conflict over land in Lampung, Sumatra, between the local government and citizens has seemingly not quietened, with the former refusing to back down over a plan to remove people from a settlement on a plot of land called Register 45.
Register 45, in the Mesuji regency, is being included in the government's forest preservation program.
"Our target is for the plot to be vacated by the end of January 2012. We do not want more dwellers to come over, put up poles on the land and erect shelters on it. Register 45 is reserved, not for residing. Not even one person lives in the area," Hidayat, an administration official in charge of development, said on Tuesday.
Mesuji has become known for the alleged killing of a group of civilians in a land dispute involving a plantation company. The alleged incident took place last April, but only came to light in December at a hearing at the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta.
Last week, two people reportedly died in land disputes in two different regions – Deli Serdang regency in North Sumatra and Tebo regency in Jambi – The first incident saw two groups of people fighting for rights over land while the second involved local residents and a company.
A councillor in North Sumatra cautioned of more potentially flaring clashes, with hundreds of land disputes remaining unresolved. Hidayat said the administration would adopt persuasive measures to clear people from the area, in which concessionary rights belong to PT Silva Inhutani. "If persuasion does not work, we resort to eviction," he said.
Thousands of residents from several villages have erected tents on Register 45, claiming that PT Silva Inhutani has taken around 10,000 hectares of land from them. They have requested the National Commission on Human Rights to help them in their struggle. They have stayed in the area to continue cultivation.