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North Sumatrans demand ownership of former PTPN II land
While much of the land has been inhabited by local residents for generations, authorities have elected to hand the state assets over to other government agencies.
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Some longtime residents of North Sumatra are aggrieved that land conceded to a state-owned plantation company will not be returned to them. (Shutterstock/S Curtis)
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housands 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 agencies instead of giving them to residents. The North Sumatra Prosecutor’s Office has received 10 ha and the Bukit Barisan Military Command has received 20 ha.
Kamisan Ginting, the chairman of the People’s Land Rights Recovery Institution (LPHTR), a land rights advocacy group, said the large land plots managed by the plantation company had been subject to land conflicts for 20 years.
“The land distribution process has shown signs of power abuse,” Kamisan told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
He wondered why the land was being distributed to government institutions while “thousands of residents are struggling to get ownership and have been required to pay for the lands.”
