Yogi Eka Sahputra, Batam – The Riau branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has criticized the local transmigration program initiated by Transmigration Minister Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanegara for the residents of Rempang. Walhi argued that this initiative, which aims to move residents from their long-established villages to new or designated relocation sites, is not a solution but rather an act of eviction.

In a press release on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Walhi stated that the Minister's presence in Rempang on April 18 marked the continuation of the Rempang Eco-City project. By offering the solution of local transmigration, Iftitah is seen as attempting to win the hearts of the community to persuade them to move from their villages to the relocation area.

Walhi Riau considered this proposed solution to be no different from previous attempts by other government officials, including Minister Bahlil Lahadalia. Walhi Riau emphasized that this approach does not reflect the desired outcome for the Rempang Eco-City issue as expressed by the affected residents.

Eko Yunanda, the Manager of Community Organizing and Regional Acceleration at Walhi Riau, asserted that the "local transmigration" program initiated by the Minister is tantamount to asking the community to leave their ancestral villages and move to a relocation site.

"The Rempang Eco-City project through the local transmigration program is still an eviction because its orientation is to develop downstream industries, which certainly does not improve the welfare of the community and has the potential to erode the cultural and historical identity of indigenous and local communities who have resided there since 1834," Eko said.

The majority of the residents of Rempang, who reject relocation, desire a peaceful and tranquil life in their villages. The development model through the Rempang Eco-City project will create spatial inequality and environmental burdens that will harm the fishermen and farmers on Rempang Island.

From the start, the Rempang Eco-City project has been viewed as a government business consortium that has caused structural violence in its process. "In reality, the establishment of the Rempang Eco-City project has triggered conflicts and failed to fulfill, respect, and protect the rights of indigenous and local communities," said Eko Yunanda.

Ishaka, a representative of the United Rempang Galang Community Alliance (AMAR-GB), stated that the government's local transmigration program cannot adequately replace the villages that have been home to the community for generations. To date, the majority of the community continues to reject the Rempang Eco-City project and its associated programs.

We were at peace and comfortable with the current condition. The entry of the Rempang Eco-City project has disrupted our lives," said Ishaka of AMAR-GB.

Since the construction of relocation houses in Tanjung Banun, the surrounding community has complained about damage to the mangrove ecosystem and the death of fish in fish cages due to mud waste from the construction. In addition, if the Rempang community in the 16 old village locations is relocated and consolidated into one area – Tanjung Banun – this will spark disputes among the fishermen vying for fishing space.

Meanwhile, for those who work as farmers, relocation or eviction with an allocation of 500 square meters of land, including a house, will certainly prevent them from maintaining their profession.

According to Ishaka, the government only wants to listen to the investors' desires, rather than the desires of the indigenous and local communities who have been relying on marine and terrestrial resources for their livelihoods.

"The community's desire is not a relocation offer or persuasion through any program, but the state's recognition of the old villages on Rempang Island and a guarantee of the preservation of natural resources, both marine and terrestrial," concluded Ishaka.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1999575/walhi-condemns-rempang-local-transmigration-as-forced-evictio