F

our people were injured on Saturday, two of them critically, during the latest in a long line of clashes between farmers and security officers employed by oil palm companies in Sumatra.

The clash took place between hundreds of workers and security officers of PT Sumatra Riang Lestari (SRL) at Hadudung Pintu Padang village, Padang Lawas regency, North Sumatra.

The clash was sparked by a land dispute at 9:30 a.m. at a timber estate area where several people were injured and a motorcycle belonging to PT SRL was burned by angry farmers.

Two farmers and two PT SRL security officers were injured.

The company reported that two of its security officers were seriously injured about the head, while the two farmers suffered only slight injuries. The victims were rushed to the nearby hospital.

Farmers Group head Rotambun Hutasoit said that the clash was the continuation of brutal actions committed by security officers from PT SRL who had allegedly damaged crops and houses two days earlier.

Rotambun said that a similar action was about to be carried out on Saturday, but was strongly opposed by the farmers, thereby leading to the incident taking place.

“The clash was unavoidable because they [PT SRL] tried to take over the farmers’ land which had been planted,” he said.

Rotambun explained that such an incident was not the first for SRL, but the only one that resulted in caused injuries.

“Clashes have taken place in the area since 2008 after SRL claimed the land that we managed belonged to them. In reality, we bought the land in 2004 based on legal documents from the subdistrict and district offices,” he said, saying that the land purchased by the farmers totaled 1,500 hectares.

The land has been managed by 522 heads of family to plant oil palm, he said.

SRL spokesman Parlin Hasibuan, however, denied Rotambun’s remarks, saying that the security officers had only intended to remind the farmers not to plant anything on the land that had been entrusted to his company, in line with a license from the Ministry of Forestry.

“We never confiscate the farmers’ land. We only develop our own land in line with the license issued by the Ministry of Forestry in 2007,” Parlin said.

Parlin also explained that Saturday’s clash had nothing whatsoever to do with the company’s plan to confiscate the farmers’ land.

“Eight of our employees who were on patrol in a car in our legal land area were suddenly attacked by the farmers,” Parlin said.