Thousands of hectares of land formerly leased to a state-owned plantation company in North Sumatra have become the center of a dispute as authorities have decided to provide the land to other government institutions rather than offer it to residents who have lived in the area for decades. The North Sumatra Land Agency (BPN North Sumatra) has announced that 5,873 ha of land previously conceded to state-owned plantation company PTPN II are being written off from the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry’s asset list and will be distributed in stages. In the first stage, about 2,216 ha will be distributed. Recipients will be obliged to pay for the land according to prices set by the public auditors (KJPP). While much of the land has been inhabited by local residents for generations, the authorities have elected to hand the state assets over to other government agenc...