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Riau farmers rally for loans

Source
Indonesian Observer - August 22, 2000

Jakarta – Hundreds of members of the Riau Farmers Association (SPR) yesterday demonstrated outside the main branch of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) in Pekanbaru city, demanding the disbursement of Rp6.7 billion (US$805,000) in rural assistance loans. The farmers marched to the BRI building after rallying at the provincial legislative assembly.

SPR secretary Eva Dewiwati said the farmers desperately need the loans because the planting season is fast approaching and they have to buy seeds and pay for tilling costs.

She said the association recently met with President Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid, who directed BRI to disburse the loans. "Gus Dur had instructed that the farming credits be disbursed soon to enable the farmers to do their activities," she was quoted as saying by Antara. Eva said the farmers have fulfilled all of the requirements stipulated by BRI.

A BRI official said the bank can't disburse the loans because an instruction order sent by the Cooperatives Ministry, the government body that oversees rural assistance loans, is somewhat garbled. By noon yesterday the farmers were still staging a sit-in outside the BRI branch, but journalists had started to disperse.

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