T

ension gripped several villages in Lampung on Sunday after a mob vandalized the office compound of plantation company PT Barat Selatan Makmur Investindo (BSMI) the day before, in connection with a long-standing land conflict.

About 300 people from Sritanjung and Pagardewa villages, Tanjungsari district, Mesuji regency reportedly burned down the company’s office building, apparently as a show of their frustration at not being able to reach an agreement on their land dispute with the company.

The arson attack damaged the compound’s main office, meeting room, logistics warehouse, canteen, fuel storage depot, employee lodging houses and security post.

Lampung Police Chief Brig. Gen. Jodie Rooseto said the police were still investigating the case. “We are still collecting data and no suspect has been named yet. There were no fatalities in the attack,” he said on Sunday.

Hundreds of police personnel had been deployed to the area to prevent a second attack.

According to Jodie, about 300 people brandishing sharp objects arrived at the PT BMSI office compound on trucks and motorcycles. They forced the employees to leave the building complex.

Witnesses said that after the employees had been forced out, the mob then blocked off the entrance to the compound, and set the buildings on fire.

Jodie said that 30 police officers dispatched to the scene could not control the mob.

After the fire had burned for two-and-a-half-hours, the compound was left gutted, and the mob left the location.

The Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) blamed the incident on the slow settlement of the land dispute.

“The people’s only demand has been for the local government to revoke the land concessionary permit granted to PT BSMI. The government has been less than responsive while the company has insisted on cultivating the palm plantation,” Indra Firsada, director of LBH Bandarlampung, said.

Indra said the residents had begun to vent their anger on Friday when a short message circulated on mobile phones that said that military and police members would rebuild the office building located in Unit 2 of the compound on Sunday.

“The office building burned on Saturday was inside Unit I while those in Unit II were demolished during last November’s riot,” Indra said.

Saturday’s arson attack left the residents of Fajarindah and Fajarbaru villages in Pancajaya district afraid that many of them could lose their jobs at PT BSMI.

“We are afraid about our security. Who will help us? Even the police fled,” Mardiono, a resident of Fajarindah, said.

His fellow residents in Fajarbaru were concerned. “We had just heard about the news of the commotion when we realized that the compound had already been burned to the ground. There were indeed police officers, but they just watched and then left,” said a resident, Sri.

Sam Efendi, a manager of PT BSMI, said he did not know what had triggered the incident. “We were all shocked when they suddenly arrived and burned down the office. Luckily the employees had already run for safety,” he said.

The previous riot on Nov. 10 last year left a resident dead and six injured as the protest turned violent, pitting the protesters against police personnel.

The residents of Sritanjung, Kagungandalam, Nipahkuning, Pagardewa and Sungaimenang have claimed to be legal owners of the land located on Block R 24 of the palm plantation managed by PT BSMI.

A fact-finding team has submitted seven points of recommendation, one being the need to review the ownership status of the land.