Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Residents of Jatirejo village in Sidoarjo, East Java, took to the streets Wednesday after a monthlong break for Ramadhan, accusing Lapindo Brantas Inc., the company blamed for the mudflow disaster, of failing to meet its promises to compensate victims whose properties have been engulfed by the mud.
The protest, involving hundreds of residents, took place near one of the relief ponds built in the village to contain the mud.
Protesters expressed their objections to the construction of a permanent dike before the company settled compensation payments to the victims, in line with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's instructions.
They blockaded trucks carrying building materials and forced heavy machinery operators to stop work.
"The residents don't think PT Lapindo is serious about its promise to compensate us for our submerged land," a Jatirejo community leader, Anwar, told reporters.
Residents have so far received compensation in the form of a two-year housing lease assistance payment of Rp 5 million (US$555) and Rp 300,000 in living costs per person.
According to an agreement reached three months ago, the company said it would pay Rp 42 million to lease submerged rice fields for two years, but has yet to deliver on that promise.
"Under the agreement all of the rice fields have been registered by a task force. But they still haven't paid us. We have already been quite cooperative and patient," said Anwar.
National Mudflow Mitigation Task Force spokesman Rudi Novrianto said the compensation process had not yet been completed because the company and the local government were still assessing the residents' demands. He said a major issue still being negotiated was the value of affected land and buildings.
Meanwhile, the company successfully completed a mud disposal trial run, with mud flowing through a spillway at a volume of 500 liters per second. The first trial run failed due to technical problems with the pumps, inundating houses in Pejarakan village, Sidoarjo. Scores of residents had to evacuate due to the accident.
"We are ready to channel the mud through the spillway into the Porong River today (Wednesday)," said the head of the mitigation task force, Basuki Hadimulyono.
In a related development, the East Java Police have named the former general manager of Lapindo Brantas, Aswan Siregar, a suspect in the mudflow case.
"With the former general manager we have now named 10 suspects in the case," said East Java Police chief of detectives Sr. Comr. Amhar Azeth.
The management of Lapindo Brantas has not provided updated information on the disaster in Sidoarjo, which began May 29, and has yet to change its original statement that the mudflow was caused by the earthquake in Yogyakarta and Central Java.
Also, the company is being accused of not fulfilling its responsibilities to thousands of residents in the eight villages affected by the mud. It has provided assistance for house leases and compensated dismissed workers whose workplaces were affected by the mudflow, but has not yet paid compensation for land and damaged properties as was instructed by the President.
The Surabaya office of the Legal Aid Institute believes Lapindo Brantas has infringed upon the basic rights of refugees, as recognized by the United Nations, while the Indonesian Forum for the Environment has accused the company of committing a serious environmental crime.