T

he National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) will hold a mediation meeting where community representatives, companies and government institutions will sit together to hear testimonies about customary land disputes in Sumatra.

The event, called the National Inquiry forum, is scheduled to be held from Tuesday through Friday this week and will discuss six customary land dispute cases on the island.

The six cases involve traditional communities in Pandumaan and Sipituhuta villages in North Sumatra, Margo Semende Nasal community in Bengkulu, Talang Mamak community in Riau, Margo Bathin Bahar community in Jambi, Mukim Lango community in Aceh and Marga Belimbing community in Lampung.

National Inquiry coordinator Yossa Nainggolan, a member of Komnas HAM, said the meeting was intended as an educational platform aimed at peacefully resolving the disputes.

Yossa said the victims would give testimonies on their experiences in the cases against a number of companies and government institutions.

'€œThe victims'€™ testimonies will be heard by representatives of the companies and the government. They will be able to directly communicate at the National Inquiry forum,'€ Yossa told journalists in Medan on Sunday.

He said that all land dispute victims in Sumatra had confirmed their forum attendance, while the involved companies and government institutions had expressed their willingness to attend the event. Companies that have yet to confirm their attendance were PT Raja Garuda Mas, which is in dispute with residents in Mukim Lango, Aceh, and PT Adi Niaga Kreasi, which is in a legal row with the Marga Belimbing community in Lampung.

'€œBoth major companies have yet to confirm their participation, although we have contacted them in hopes of settling the customary land disputes,'€ said Yossa.

Yossa said Komnas HAM was cooperating with the Witness and Victims Protection Agency (LPSK) to ensure the safety of the witnesses.

He said a number of land dispute victims in Sulawesi had been subject to threats after testifying in a national inquiry in Palu, Central Sulawesi, recently.

Yossa said the forum would also be carried out in five other provinces, including Kalimantan and Papua.

Suryati Simanjuntak, a facilitator of the communities in Pandumaan and Sipituhuta in North Sumatra, said she welcomed the event.

'€œMembers of the indigenous community are tired of being in constant dispute. We want the land dispute cases to be settled peacefully and fairly for the sake of the people,'€ said Suryati.

Yossa said the outcome of the National Inquiry would be conveyed to the incoming government of Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla.

Recently, the Suku Anak Dalam community, also known as the Orang Rimba tribe, who live in Jelutih village in Batanghari regency, Jambi, has demanded PT Wana Perintis return its land, which has been converted into an Industrial Forest (HTI).

 '€œBefore the company existed, we lived on that land. We don'€™t have anywhere else to go,'€ Orang Rimba representative Temenggung Marituha said recently.

He has urged the government to resolve the dispute. He said the tribe would like to work with the company on the condition it was given land to use to make a living.

'€œIf not, we will occupy the land and manage it ourselves,'€ said Temenggung.

Currently, 180 Orang Rimba families live in Jelutih village.