Humbang Hasundutan people seek land-dispute resolution
Members of a traditional community in Pandumaan and Sipituhuta villages
in Pollung district, Humbang Hasundutan regency, North Sumatra, have
urged the Forestry Ministry to keep its promise to settle a land dispute
involving PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), which has been going on for five
years.
They said the ministry’s director general of forestry business development, Bambang Hendroyono, had promised on May 29 this year to resolve the dispute within three months.
“August 28 was the deadline, but there has been no sign of the ministry trying to settle the land dispute in the TPL concession area,” community elder Rev. Haposan Sinambela told The Jakarta Post.
Haposan said that many people had become victims of violence and had been arrested by police since the conflict over TPL’s concession area began in 2009.
He added that the conflict with TPL stemmed from the felling of kemenyan (incense) trees by the company on customary land belonging to local residents. He said the locals were enraged by the action because they relied on the trees for their livelihoods.
Humbang Hasundutan Community Initiative Development Study Group head Delima Silalahi, who has provided advocacy to the traditional communities in Pandumaan and Sipituhuta villages, said efforts to settle the land dispute had taken place several times, such as that by the local council’s special committee, which proposed the need to map out the customary land.
Delima said the residents together with the local council had set a demarcation line between the customary land and the TPL concession area in December 2011. He added that the mapping results had been sent to the Forestry Ministry via the Humbang Hasundutan regent on June 25, 2012.
“The locals urged the forestry minister to exclude the customary land, which had been mapped out, from the TPL concession area,” said Delima, adding that they had not yet received a response from the
ministry.
Delima explained that due to the prolonged dispute, the local council had declared a halt to all deforestation following a visit to Pandumaan village in 2010 by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
However, he added, TPL had failed to abide by the council’s decision.
“As of now, TPL has deforested around 450 hectares of the total 4,100 hectares of customary land,” said Pandumaan village head Budiman Lumbanbatu.
In response to the matter, TPL’s legal assistant, Bedman Ritonga, said the claim was baseless.
“How could we cut down incense trees owned by the local residents. Our relationship with the locals has always been good; we have never prohibited them from harvesting incense within TPL’s concession area,” Bedman told several journalists as he accompanied them to see the locals’ incense trees located inside the concession area.
Bedman said the land claimed by the local community was actually located within the TPL concession area, adding that hundreds of people from nine villages, including Pandumaan and Sipituhuta villages, owned incense trees.
According to him, residents from all nine villages had always been allowed to harvest their incense trees in the concession area.
Bedman said TPL obtained the forest concession permit from the Forestry Ministry to manage the forest in several areas, including an industrial forest in Humbang Hasundutan.
“TPL’s concession area spans 269,000 hectares,” he said, adding that the concession permit, which was issued in 1992, was valid for 35 years.
They said the ministry’s director general of forestry business development, Bambang Hendroyono, had promised on May 29 this year to resolve the dispute within three months.
“August 28 was the deadline, but there has been no sign of the ministry trying to settle the land dispute in the TPL concession area,” community elder Rev. Haposan Sinambela told The Jakarta Post.
Haposan said that many people had become victims of violence and had been arrested by police since the conflict over TPL’s concession area began in 2009.
He added that the conflict with TPL stemmed from the felling of kemenyan (incense) trees by the company on customary land belonging to local residents. He said the locals were enraged by the action because they relied on the trees for their livelihoods.
Humbang Hasundutan Community Initiative Development Study Group head Delima Silalahi, who has provided advocacy to the traditional communities in Pandumaan and Sipituhuta villages, said efforts to settle the land dispute had taken place several times, such as that by the local council’s special committee, which proposed the need to map out the customary land.
Delima said the residents together with the local council had set a demarcation line between the customary land and the TPL concession area in December 2011. He added that the mapping results had been sent to the Forestry Ministry via the Humbang Hasundutan regent on June 25, 2012.
“The locals urged the forestry minister to exclude the customary land, which had been mapped out, from the TPL concession area,” said Delima, adding that they had not yet received a response from the
ministry.
Delima explained that due to the prolonged dispute, the local council had declared a halt to all deforestation following a visit to Pandumaan village in 2010 by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
However, he added, TPL had failed to abide by the council’s decision.
“As of now, TPL has deforested around 450 hectares of the total 4,100 hectares of customary land,” said Pandumaan village head Budiman Lumbanbatu.
In response to the matter, TPL’s legal assistant, Bedman Ritonga, said the claim was baseless.
“How could we cut down incense trees owned by the local residents. Our relationship with the locals has always been good; we have never prohibited them from harvesting incense within TPL’s concession area,” Bedman told several journalists as he accompanied them to see the locals’ incense trees located inside the concession area.
Bedman said the land claimed by the local community was actually located within the TPL concession area, adding that hundreds of people from nine villages, including Pandumaan and Sipituhuta villages, owned incense trees.
According to him, residents from all nine villages had always been allowed to harvest their incense trees in the concession area.
Bedman said TPL obtained the forest concession permit from the Forestry Ministry to manage the forest in several areas, including an industrial forest in Humbang Hasundutan.
“TPL’s concession area spans 269,000 hectares,” he said, adding that the concession permit, which was issued in 1992, was valid for 35 years.
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