T

he central government has reaffirmed that it will immediately reclaim state properties it won in court in North Sumatra, a minister has said.

Among the properties are a 47,000-hectare plot at Register 40 in Padang Lawas and North Padang Lawas regencies and a 7.3-ha plot owned by state railway company PT KAI.

'€œIn line with the President'€™s instruction, the land repossession process must ensure that none of the people'€™s interests are disturbed,'€ Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno told reporters in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday.

He was in the province to head a closed-door meeting with Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, Attorney General M. Prasetyo and North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho at the gubernatorial office.

Tedjo said the government would ensure that the people'€™s interests would not be affected in the reclaiming of the land at Register 40 and of PT KAI.

Tedjo claimed that certain quarters wished to foil the government'€™s efforts to repossess the state property in North Sumatra, especially at Register 40. He said one of the negative efforts was inciting the community to oppose the legal decisions favoring the government.

However, he added that efforts to incite people would not influence the repossession process.

'€œAt Register 40, there are efforts being made by land owner DL Sitorus to confront residents with the government.'€

'€œWe will deal with the issue properly and we don'€™t want to sacrifice the community in dealing with the case,'€ said Tedjo.

Tedjo said in the near future, the reclaiming of the land at Register 40 would involve the North Sumatra Police and Bukit Barisan Military Command.

He urged residents not to obstruct the process because it would not affect their welfare.

Last week, several groups from traditional communities in 61 villages in Padang Lawas and North Padang Lawas held a meeting with North Sumatra provincial councilors.

During the meeting the traditional communities objected to the central government'€™s plan to take over the management of the 47,000 ha in Register 40.

The traditional communities said they would fight if the government continued reclaiming the land at Register 40, currently occupied by 30,000 people.

The residents claimed Register 40 was part of their customary land which they had occupied for the past seven generations.

Prasetyo, who attended the land dispute meeting in North Sumatra, said all the plantation companies in Register 40 would be evicted, so as to stave off remarks that only DL Sitorus'€™ land would be seized.

'€œEvery one of them will get their turn. Now, we are just executing the Supreme Court'€™s ruling on behalf of DL Sitorus'€™ company,'€ said Prasetyo.

Regarding the repossession of the land owned by PT KAI, Tedjo said the prosecutor'€™s office would immediately seize a 7.3-ha plot on which a shopping and business center stood.

Tedjo added that the shift in ownership of PT KAI'€™s land to developers was due to a blunder made by a former Medan mayor.

'€œThe misuse of PT KAI land was by a former mayor who is currently incarcerated. We will reinstate the regulation and the land will be repossessed by the prosecutor'€™s office,'€ said Tedjo, adding the repossession of state assets was indispensable as a basis for reorganizing any form of agreement regarding PT KAI land management.