W

hen negotiations failed to produce an agreement between two opposing sides in a land dispute concerning an airport in Papua, locals opted for a different approach in a bid to have their rights granted.

They did not resort to violence to have their demands heard, but instead blocked access within the disputed property until their aspirations were responded to.

The Sentani Airport authority in Jayapura has agreed to pay Rp 156 billion (US$11.5 million) in compensation for customary lands within the airport complex. That is the amount demanded by four ethnic groups that have claimed customary ownership rights over the designated fields.

“We have agreed that the payment for the customary lands will be conducted on May 31 at 8 a.m. at the headquarters of the Kotaraja Police’s Mobile Brigade [Brimob],” Sentani Airport head Agus Supriyanto said in Jayapura on Friday.

He said the cash had been prepared was currently kept at the Jayapura District Court.

Members of the four ethnic groups of Taime, Palo, Kopeu and Yoku claiming ownership over the fields on Thursday night blocked the airport’s taxiway near the runway. The blockade only ended on Friday morning after the head of the airport had agreed to meet the protesters demand for compensation.

The blockade was conducted by planting banana trees into drums and then placing them in the middle of the taxiway.

Agus said the action by the locals had delayed takeoff and landing procedures at the airport.

“A number of aircraft that were ready for takeoff were forced to queue for some time. Aircraft ready to land had to wait for 15 minutes before landing, and so did the aircraft that were ready to take off,” he said.

He said the 12 hectare plot of land belonging to the four Papuan ethnic groups were located at the runway, which measures 2,500 meters in length. Once the compensation is paid, the airport authority plans to extend the runway to 3,000 meters in order to allow larger aircraft to land at the airport.

A representative of the four ethnic groups, John Taime, said a further blockade would be organized if the compensation was not paid in accordance with the agreed schedule.

Following the agreement, the locals promptly ended their protest action and airport officers immediately cleared the taxiway to provide access to the runway for aircraft to take off and land.

Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Gustav Urbinas said his office had deployed 100 personnel to secure the blocked area of the airport.

“We are maintaining security measures so as to prevent such action from disrupting public interests,” said Gustav, adding that Sentani Airport operations continued normally despite the blockade.