A land dispute may collapse the plan by the Lampung administration office to build an international cargo port.

Sebalang Beach in South Lampung regency, which has been designated as the project site, appears to be personal property whose owner has expanded the area by way of reclamation.
Lampung provincial secretary Irham Djafar Lan Putra said the project would also incorporate a marine tourism resort.

“But it turns out the beach area is private property and has been developed into a private-owned tourist resort,” Irham said Thursday.

The administration has planned to sue PT Tanjung Selaki, which operates on the disputed land, if it refuses to cede the land.

“The reclamation has caused the administration to lose ownership of the beach,” Irham said.

However, the court proceeding may run rough for the administration with the company already holding a certificate of ownership issued by the local office of the National Land Affairs Agency (BPN).

“This is odd because a certificate of ownership cannot be granted for a beach,” he said.

The planned port is supposed to replace the Panjang Port whose management — PT Pelindo II — reportedly has allocated funds to relocate to Sebalang Beach.

A sum of the fund is allocated for the environmental impact analyses.

An international cargo hub, the port is expected to allow more space for loading activities and operate 24 hours a day.

The port is projected to cover an area of 30 hectares. The provincial Transportation Agency has also planned to reclaim the beach between 100 meters and 150 meters closer to the sea, reaching a depth of between 5 and 6 meters.

Separately, owner and president director of PT Tanjung Selaki, Basais, insisted that he owned the 30-hectare beach in Sebalang he had bought from local residents in the 1990s.

“The provincial administration is moving disproportionately if it forces me to surrender the land.

“I have spent billions of rupiah in purchasing and reclaiming the beach,” Basais said.

Basais also said that the reclamation of the beach was carried out following a permit from then governor Poedjono Pranyoto issued in 1990, while the certificate was issued by the South Lampung BPN in 1995.

Campaign manager of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment’s (Walhi) Sumatra regional chapter, Mukri Friatna, however, said that a beach could not be owned by individuals, especially regarding that
Sebalang Beach was protected region according to the 1990 Presidential Decree on management of protected areas.

“Sebalang used to be rich in mangrove forests in the past,” Mukri said. “I can assure that the issuance of the certificate of ownership is violating existing regulations.”

Mukri also said that hundreds of residents were forcefully evicted from the beach in 2007 and that they filed complaints to the Lampung Police.

“But no settlement has been made even though they were given compensation of only Rp 500 (US$50) per square meter.

“Many have not received compensation at all,” he said.

Meanwhile, head of Tarahan subdistrict, Ketibung district, South Lampung, Hasan Wahab, said that the reclamation of the 4,000 meters by 50 meters beach had ruined both the residents’ agricultural and fishing activities.

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