M

embers of the Belimbing community in Way Haru village, Bengkunat Belimbing district, West Lampung, are becoming increasingly anxious about the planned release of three Sumatran tigers in the Tampang Belimbing (Tambling) forest.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to officiate the release of the three tigers into the forest, located in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (TNBSS), on Environment Day, which falls on June 5.

Tribal elders from the community said residents would face potential danger if the tigers, originally from Aceh, were released.

Two of five Sumatran tigers caught by Acehnese residents were released in the Tambling Nature Wildlife Conservation (TNWC) area in the TNBSS on July 22 last year.

The Forestry Ministry has given the management rights of the TNWC area, which spans 300 hectares, to businessman Tomy Winata.

Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban and Tomy Winata ensured residents the tigers would not enter the village once released.

They both claimed the area had abundant prey, such as deer, wild boar, monkeys and wild buffaloes.

"The release of two tigers last year has put our lives at risk," a Pangekahan traditional figure, Khusairi Raja Muda, said recently.

"The government should act on its promise to relocate us to a safer area before releasing three more tigers.

"They have failed on relocation efforts so far, and have instead increased terror in the village," he added.

The Belimbing area, according to Khusairi, is an area owned by the Belimbing traditional community, an indigenous Lampung tribe, which has protested against the relocation plan.

Parts of the community, however, are newcomers originating from other tribes in Indonesia, which have yet to be relocated.

Khusairi said hundreds of families from the Belimbing tribe, the smallest traditional group in West Lampung, remained threatened by the release of two tigers last year.

The tigers were released into the TNBSS area, which directly borders the tribe settlement.

Of the 164 households, or 500 people in Pangekahan village, 50 percent are from the Belimbing tribe. The rest are newcomers from the Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, Buginese and Batak indigenous groups.

"We still practice our traditional customs, and refuse to leave Pangekahan.

"We refuse to relocate, even if we are offered a 1.5-hectare farmland and Rp 7.5 million *US$700* in cash per family," said Khusairi.

He added that since released last year, the two tigers had mauled many of the residents' livestock after venturing into the village at night.

"Our ancestors lived in Belimbing for hundreds of years and none of their stories refer to anyone being mauled by tigers," Khusairi said.

"Members of the Belimbing traditional community have befriended tigers surviving in the TNBSS, but the arrival of the tigers from Aceh is definitely different. We are afraid to go out at night for fear of being attacked by the tigers," he said.

Head of the Nusantara Traditional Community (AMAN) in Lampung, Ichwanto M. Nuh, said Pangekahan village was part of an enclave.

The area was previously part of the national park, but was later excluded when it became legally recognized as a traditional village by the Indonesian government.

"The Belimbing community is familiar with living side-by-side with tigers."

"The tigers and people have never disturbed each other, but if the traditional community is forced to leave the area, they will lose their identity," said Ichwanto.

He added that his group would continue to argue their case with the West Lampung regency administration to protect the Belimbing tribe.

"Despite their small number, the clan is also part of Indonesia, whose citizens should receive protection from the state.

"If we reach a stalemate, we will report the case to the National Commission on Human Rights," said Ichwanto.

The planned relocation of 164 houses in the Pangekahan village is still unclear.