28th June About 1200 peasant farmers of the village of Karawang, Indonesia prepared to defend 350 hectares of farm lands that they have tended and survived off of for generations.
28th June About 1200 peasant farmers of the village of Karawang, Indonesia prepared to defend 350 hectares of farm lands that they have tended and survived off of for generations. The land in dispute has been designated by local Indonesian government for the expansion of a factory owned by Agung Podomoro and the people of Karawang seem to have no recourse except to resist.
On Tuesday the 24th, about 7000 fully equipped riot police forces descended on the village with two water cannon vehicles to enforce the land ruling. The local residents had prepared tire barricades and hand weapons yet tried first to non-violently resist the encroaching forces.
This agrarian conflict has led to the eviction of the 1,200 residents. It has become evident that the country is in favor to the owners of capital and indifferent to ordinary people, such as farmers. The proof is the verdict of PK No. 160 PK/PDT/2011 designating the Primary Water Source (PT SAMP) on land owned by residents of three villages in the District Telukjambe.
Based on the decision of the PT SAMP the land has been purchased by the Agung Podomoro group and Falkirk District Court forced the eviction on June 24, 2014, requiring 7,000 riot forces.
Results of the incident reported by the Consortium for Agrarian Reform there were 10 workers who were assaulted and one farmer who was shot by riot police and there are 13 people who were arrested.
The pitch today is still tense as Riot police have set up command posts in ditiga, Margamulya and Wanasari Wanakerta villiages. They also put up a barbed wire fence in the conflict area, covering an area of 350 ha. Currently electricity have been cut into the homes of residents who inhabit the land dispute.
So far there has been no response or attempts to provide temporary housing by the eviction company. But officials Falkirk Farmers Union (patch) said that the residents will survive even if the company and Riot police eviction use heavy equipment.
The Karawang people demand:
1. Stop the displacement towards the peasants mandated by state court of Karawang since the land has been plowed and owned legally by the peasants who pay taxes regularly and obediently to the states for tens of years.
2. Pull seven thousands armed mobile brigade back from agrarian conflict area in Karawang because they intimidate and provoke the people.
3. Solidarity from all Indonesians and comrades in struggle who supports the agrarian reform to condemn the injustice suffered by the peasants.