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Residents, activists protest Jokowi's statement on steam-fueled power plant
Batang residents and Greenpeace Indonesia activists on Monday protested a recent statement made by President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo in which he said obstacles hampering the construction of the Batang steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) had been overcome
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atang residents and Greenpeace Indonesia activists on Monday protested a recent statement made by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo in which he said obstacles hampering the construction of the Batang steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) had been overcome.
The protesting residents, comprising land owners, farmers, traditional fishermen and farm workers, said that reports delivered by government representatives to the President contradicted the facts on the field.
'President Jokowi's statement that land-clearing for the development of PLTU Batang was complete showed that reports from his men contradicted the facts on the field,' Greenpeace Indonesia climate and energy campaign team leader Arif Fiyanto said in a press release on Monday.
'To this day, locals grouped under the Ujungnegoro, Karanggeneng Ponowareng and Roban Community (UKPWR) have continued to defend dozens of hectares of land from being confiscated for the construction of the project,' he went on.
During his visit to Japan last week, Jokowi said in a forum attended by Japanese business communities that the government had settled land- clearing problems hampering PLTU Batang construction. The President further said that all problems surrounding the construction of the project could be resolved.
Arif said locals rejecting the mega-project construction had experienced various human rights violations, such as intimidation, criminalization and violence.
Cayadi, one of the land owners, said he served seven months' imprisonment for a crime he did not commit.
'I and Pak Carman, a resident of my home village, had to serve more than seven months in prison. This was because we rejected the PLTU Batang construction project,' said Cayadi, a land owner from Karanggeneng village in Batang.
Another villager, Roidi, said Batang residents would never allow their land to be converted.
'Again, we reject the PLTU Batang development in our village. President Jokowi must listen to us because we strongly supported him during the 2014 presidential election,' he said. (ebf)
