Land Dispute led to HR Abuses: AHRC

Editor:
This is an appeal program issued by AHRC. Anyone may join and send letter to Indonesia's Govt.
 thks,

Saurlin.

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME
Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-053-2012
29 March 2012
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INDONESIA: Land dispute led to indiscriminate shooting against villagers in Mesuji
ISSUES: Police violence; right to life; land rights; excessive use of force
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Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding indiscriminate shooting by police officers against local villagers on 10 November 2011 in Mesuji, Lampung. The shooting was triggered by a land dispute between local villagers in several villages in Lampung and two palm companies. It resulted in the death of Jailani, 50-years-old, and the injury of eight others.
CASE NARRATIVE:
A letter sent by the local villagers’ representatives to WALHI (the Indonesian Forum for Environment), reported that there has been a long ongoing conflict between the villagers and PT Barat Selatan Makmur Investindo (PT BSMI) as well as PT Lampung Interpertiwi (PT LIP) since 1994. The villagers claimed that 17.769 ha of land which these companies hold the cultivation rights on were not acquired in accordance with the law. Although the National Land Agency office in Lampung granted PT BSMI the cultivation rights over 10.000 ha of land, the company has only paid half of the compensation amount it was supposed to pay. Similarly, PT LIP was granted the cultivation rights in March 1997 over 6628 ha of land, but only paid compensation for half of it, 3314 ha, to the villagers. PT BSMI also has the obligation to allocate 7000 ha of its land for plasma plantation, which it has so far failed to do. In addition, villagers of Nipah Kuning, Sri Tanjung, Kagungan Dalam, Sungai Menang, Pagar Dewa and Sungai Sodong also claim that the companies managed to obtain the permit due to conspiracy with the local government. This allegation was based on the fact that there were nine people in the list of compensation grantees who actually did not have any land.
As there was no settlement in this long, ongoing conflict, the local villagers occupied the disputed land. On 6 September 2011, villagers from the six different villages came to unilaterally delimit the land. Since the villagers’ financial situation was negatively impact by the activities of PT BSMI and PT LIP, on September 9 and 11 they harvested palms on the land.
On 10 November 2011, one of the villagers was arrested by the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) for harvesting palms in the disputed land. The other villagers later attempted to release him but the police responded by shooting one of the villagers. The shooting triggered the anger of the villagers, who then burnt some area in Division II of the plantation. The police used rubber bullets to shoot the villagers, one of whom was shot on his left hand. Another suffered a serious burn injury.
Knowing two of them were injured, the villagers came to the factory which was located not far from Division II area. The police opened fire against them indiscriminately which resulted in the death of a villager who was shot in the head. Another villager had his leg broken as well as got shot. Four others were injured from the rubber bullets. The rest of the villagers got really angry and burnt PT BSMI and PT LIP’s factory as well as other facilities.
Following are the details of the victims of the shooting:
Shooting in Division II
Name/Age/Injuries/Residence
Rano Karno 25, shot in his left hand, Sri Tanjung village
Jepi 21 Serious burn wound Sri Tanjung village

Shooting in the factory of PT BSMI and PT LIP
Jailani 50, shot in head, died Kagungan Dalam village
Muslim 16, broken leg, shot Sri Tanjung village
Robinsa 15, shot in his right ankle Sri Tanjung
Reli 27, shot in his right shoulder Sri Tanjung
Harun 15, shot in his left shoulder Sri Tanjung
Lukman 27, shot in his ankle Sri Tanjung
Mat Tahan 40, wounded Sri Tanjung
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
According to the Indonesian National Police Regulation No. 1 Year 2009 on The Use of Force, live ammunition should be used only to stop activities which may cause severe injury or death, threaten the decency of the police officers or threaten public safety. The Regulation also establishes that the use of lethal weapons including live ammunitions should be used as a last resort, in accordance with international human rights law which upholds that law enforcement officials may use force and firearms only in a situation where it is strictly necessary.
Indonesia is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), article 6 of which guarantees the right to life of everyone. The right to life as stipulated in the ICCPR does not merely mandate the state parties to refrain from any unlawful or arbitrary deprivation of life, but also to conduct effective investigations into situations where state officials have been responsible for the taking of life. Therefore, in this case, an investigation concerning the shooting is needed in order to find out if the use of force and firearms towards the villagers met the necessity and proportionality requirement. The failure to do so constitutes a violation of the right to life.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the following authorities requesting an impartial and effective investigation into the shooting that took place on 10 November 2010. As this case was triggered by the land conflict between PT BSMI as well as PT LIP and the villagers, please also urge the authorities to ensure that measures needed to settle the conflict be ensured.
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear ___________,
INDONESIA: Land dispute led to indiscriminate shooting against villagers in Mesuji
Name of victims:
Rano Karno (25-years-old), Jepi (21-years-old), Jailani (50-years- old), Muslim (16-years-old), Robinsa (15-years-old), Reli (27-years-old), Harun (15-years-old), Lukman (27-years-old), Mat Tahan (40-years-old)
Names of alleged perpetrators:
Lampung Brimob officers
Date of incident: 10 November 2011
Place of incident: Mesuji village
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the shooting at villagers took place in Mesuji village, Lampung, on 10 November 2011. I was informed that on that day a villager was arrested by the Mobile Brigader (Brimob) for harvesting palms in the plantation area of PT Barat Selatan Makmur Investindo (PT BSMI) as well as PT Lampung Interpertiwi (PT LIP). When other villagers attempted to release him, the police responded by firing rubber bullets, provoking the villagers. In this clash, one person was shot on his left hand while another suffered a serious burn injury. The angry villagers then went to Division II area and burnt some parts of the plantation, which resulted in further shooting. At this time a villager died from being shot in the head, and another villager had his leg shot and broken. The police also used rubber bullets to shoot four villagers.
I am aware that under international human rights law as well as Indonesian law, in certain circumstances the police are authorized to use force and firearms towards individuals or groups of individuals who conduct activities threatening public safety. I am also aware that what the villagers did in PT BSMI and PT LIP’s plantation area on 10 November 2011 might amount to activities threatening public safety. However, since there were individuals who died and were injured due to police force, an effective and independent investigation is needed to ensure that the measures taken by the police met the necessity and proportionality requirements.
A well established jurisprudence in international humanrights law upheld that the obligation of states in protecting the right to life includes the obligation to conduct an effective investigation where state officials have been responsible for the taking of life. This obligation is needed to secure the accountability of officials and ensure that they cannot act without impunity. The failure to conduct an effective and independent investigation in this case therefore constitutes the violation of the right to life as stipulated in article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Indonesia is a state party.
I would also like to bring your attention to the fact that the clash between police and villagers in this case was triggered by a long ongoing land conflict between the local villagers and PT BSMI and PT LIP. The villagers claimed that the two companies illegally hold the Cultivation Right on Land (Hak Guna Usaha, HGU) over a 17.769 ha of land. This is because PT BSMI and PT LIP did not pay compensation to the villagers over the 8314 ha of land they both acquired; PT BSMI failed to convert 7000 ha of its land into a plasma plantation as well as illegally expanded its plantation area, making it 2455 ha bigger. The villagers also suspect that the companies managed to obtain HGU from the government due to a conspiracy with several government officials. The villagers resorted to harvesting the palms in the disputed land due to the lack of resolution in this long conflict, as well as their poor economic situation since the coming of the two companies into their village.
Since this conflict is the main cause of the clash that took place in Mesuji on 10 November 2011, I would like to urge you to ensure that necessary measures are taken to settle the land conflict between the companies and the villagers, in addition to my request for an independent investigation concerning the shooting. Adequate compensation should be given to the villagers whose land had been taken away and PT BSMI has to convert some of its land into plasma plantation as required by the law. Any allegations regarding conspiracy between the company and the government officials should also be investigated.

Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudoyono
President of the Republic of Indonesia
Jl. Veteran No. 16
Jakarta Pusat
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 386 3777, 350 3088
Fax: +62 21 344 2223
2. Prof. Harkristuti Harkrisnowo
Human Rights General Director
Ministry of Law and Human Rights
Jl. HR Rasuna Said Kav. C-1 Kuningan
Jakarta Selatan 12920
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 252 1344
Fax: +62 21 45555 5676
E-mail: info@ham.go.id
3. Mr. Ifdhal Kasim
Chairperson
KOMNAS HAM (National Human Rights Commission)
Jl. Latuharhary No. 4B Menteng
Jakarta Pusat 10310
INDONESIA
Tel:+62 21 3925 230
Fax: +62 21 3151042/3925227
E-mail: info@komnasham.or.id
4. Mr. Joyo Winoto
Head of National Land Agency
Gedung Badan Pertanahan Nasional Lt. 1
Jl. Sisingamangaraja No. 2, Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta 12110
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 21 739 3939
Fax: +62 21 725 4725
5. Mr. Sjachroedin ZP
Governor of Lampung
Jl. Walter Monginsidi No. 56 Lampung
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 721 4811166, 482688
Fax: +62 721 485311
6. Mr. H. Alex Noerdin
Governor of South Sumatra
Jl. Kapten A. Rivai, Palembang
INDONESIA
Tel: +62 711 410 838
Fax: +62 711 357 405, 363 789
7. Brig. Gen. Pol. Jodie Roseto
Head of Lampung Regional Police
Jl. WR Supratman 1, Lampung
Tel: +62 721 471487
Fax: +62 721 488 222

Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)

Izin 5 Perkebunan Digantung, Hindari konflik dengan Masyarakat

Padang Ekspres • Senin, 19/03/2012 10:37 WIB • Gusti Ayu Gayatri • 83 klik

Padang, Padek—Pemprov Sumbar perketat pengeluaran Izin Usaha Perkebunan (IUP). Tujuannya menghindari terjadinya konflik antara masyarakat dengan perusahaan perkebunan.

Bahkan sampai saat ini, Dinas Perkebunan Provinsi Sumbar masih menggantung permohonan izin yang diusulkan oleh lima perusahaan perkebunan di Kabupaten Mentawai dan Solok Selatan. Pemprov baru akan merealisasikan IUP itu, setelah adanya kesepakatan antara perusahaan perkebunan dengan masyarakat sekitar. Sepanjang hal itu belum terwujud, permohonan izin lima perusahaan itu tidak akan dikeluarkan.

Hal ini ditegaskan Kepala Dinas Perkebunan Sumatera Barat Fajarudin kepada Padang Ekspres pekan lalu.
“Untuk izin usaha perkebunan saat ini memang kami agak selektif mengeluarkannya, saat ini kan ada penolakan masyarakat sekitar terhadap pembukaan lahan sawit yang dilakukan usaha perkebunan.

Kami tak mau persoalan itu nantinya akan menyebabkan potensi konflik yang besar di Sumbar, makanya kami tak asal mengeluarkan rekomendasi izin usaha perkebunan,” ujarnya.

Ia menyebutkan tercatat ada lima perusahaan perkebunan yang mengajukan usulan IUP di dua kabupaten yang masih digantung permohonan izinnya. Sebanyak 4 perusahaan mengusulkan IUP di mentawai dan 1 perusahaan mengusulkan IUP di Solok Selatan.

Total areal lahan yang dimohonkan 5 perusahaan itu sebanyak 60 ribu ha. Belum diakomodirnya permohonan izin itu karena masih ada riak penolakan dari masyarakat sekitar.

“Kalau kami keluarkan saja izin perkebunannya , bisa- bisa nanti masyarakat di sana protes ke kami. Saya sudah sampaikan pada 5 perusahaan itu, agar menyelesaikan dulu persoalan mereka dengan masyarakat sekitar,” ucapnya.

Katanya, sesuai dengan Peraturan Menteri Pertanian No 26 Tahun 2007 mengharuskan perusahaan perkebunan yang diberikan izin untuk membangun 20 persen dari total lahan usaha perkebunan yang diizinkan untuk plasma. Pembangunan plasma harus serentak dengan kebun inti.

“Selama ini kan itu yang jadi persoalan, pembangunan di kebun inti dengan plasma tak sejalan. Makanya banyak aksi protes masyarakat terhadap usaha perkebunan. Kalau itu dilakukan oleh usaha perkebunan , saya rasa tak akan jadi masalah,” ucapnya.

Fajar mengatakan, Pemprov baru dapat mempercayai sudah adanya kesepakatan antara masyarakat dan perusahaan perkebunan , apabila ada surat pernyataan tertulis antara keduanya. Tapi kalau surat pernyataan tertulis itu belum ada, maka pemprov menilai antara perusahaan perkebunan dengan warga belum ada kesepakatan.

“Lima perusahaan yang mengajukan Izin Usaha Perkebunan (IUP) itu sejak 2011 lalu mengusulkannya, tapi sampai hari ini belum kami keluarkan IUPnya. IUP ini kan ada dua, ada melalui izin dari pemda setempat dan pemprov. Kalau Pemprov yang mengeluarkan izinnya , apabila lahannya seluas 1 ribu hektare. Lima perusahaan itu adalah Mentawai Golden, Siberut Golden, Rajawali, dua perusahaan lagi saya lupa namanya, tapi satu perusahaan lagi masih satu group dengan Mentawai Golden, Siberut Golden dan Rajawali,” ucapnya.

Saat ini , data di Pemprov Sumbar ,Izin Usaha Perkebunan (IUP) yang telah dikeluarkan itu sebanyak 43 perusahaan . Terdiri dari Izin Usaha Perkebunan sawit, karet dan teh. Namun permohonan izin yang diusulkan lima perusahaan yang saya sebutkan tadi, semuanya untuk usaha perkebunan sawit.

“Untuk areal perkebunan di Sumbar ini antara kepemilikan petani dengan swasta tidak terlalu timpang lah. Untuk swasta kepemilikannya 52, 3 persen dan sisanya dimiliki petani,” ucapnya.

Fajar mengatakan luas tanaman perkebunan di Sumatera Barat mengalami peningkatan dari tahun 2011 lalu. Jika tahun 2011 lalu hanya 879.325 ha, tahun ini 900. 516 hektar. (lihat grafis).

“Terjadi peningkatan yang cukup luas untuk tanaman perkebunan. Penambahan luas tanaman perkebunan ini bukan dari perusahaan perkebunan tapi luas tanaman perkebunan milik kebun rakyat,” ujarnya

Pada tahun 2012 ini. Pemprov Sumbar menargetkan produksi perkebunann sebanyak 1.364.743 ton (lihat grafis)
“Kami mengupayakan produksi tanaman perkebunan terus mengalami peningkatan setiap tahunnya, tentunya untuk mewujudkan hal ini , kami juga siudah siapkan sejumlah strategi untuk ini,” ucapnya. (ayu)

RSPO claims strong sustainable palm oil growth in 2011

http://www.cleanbiz.asia/story/rspo-claims-strong-sustainable-palm-oil-growth-2011
 Date:  March 05, 2012

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has reported what it calls unprecedented growth for Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) last year. In its inaugural annual quantities review, RSPO reported that the year-on-year supply of CSPO in 2011 increased by 73 percent, reaching 4,798,512 metric tons compared to 2,773,567 metric tons in 2010, while year-on-year sales volume increased 94 percent.
The association, which brings together buys and sellers, says its “2011 RSPO CSPO Growth Interpretation Narrative” (2011 GIN is the first of its kind for a sustainable commodity.

The numbers certainly appear to contradict complaints made within certain circles of the palm oil industry in Malaysia and Indonesia that CSPO sales of RSPO-certified palm oil have been well below expectations.
The report show a strong upward trend in the supply and sale of sustainable palm oil, since the certification of the commodity was first launched by the RSPO in 2008. From 2009 to 2011 supply of CSPO has increased by 250 percent (1,357,511 metric tons in 2009 to 4,798,512 metric tons in 2011) while sales volume has grown more than six-fold, from 343,857 metric tons in 2009 to 2,490,526 metric tons in 2011.
RSPO says the surge in supply can be attributed to the rising number of oil plam growers entering into its certification process. In 2008, RSPO could count 17 certified mills in just two countries (Malaysia and Papua New Guinea), today there are 29 grower companies with 135 certified mills in six countries: Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands – an increase in certified mills of approximately 800 percent over three years.

“The growth of CSPO has shown an escalating trend and clearly reflects the inclination of sustainability standards towards palm oil,” said RSPO secretary general Darrel Webber.
RSPO membership has also been rapidly expanding in the past year. Membership of consumer goods manufacturer increased more than 60 percent while the retailers category increased by 50 percent - both primarily from the European regions which is an affirmative step in accelerating demand of CSPO. The processors & traders category also intensified by over 30 percent strengthening commitment along the palm oil supply chain, another integral development in transforming the market.

Iran struggles to buy SEA palm oil as sanctions bite

Friday March 16, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: Iran has not managed to buy palm oil from South-East Asia despite paying for some backdated orders with other currencies apart from the US dollar as Western sanctions bite, traders said.

Palm oil, used for cooking, has grown increasingly difficult for Iran to secure as the United States and Europe impose tough financial sanctions to stop its nuclear weapons programme.
Middle East and South-East Asian traders said that Iranians had been offering US$20 to US$30 per tonne more for palm oil from top producers Indonesia and Malaysia, but no deals had been signed in the past month though food was not included under sanctions.
In early January, South-East Asian traders told Reuters that Indonesia and Malaysia had stopped exporting directly to Iran over payment problems since late last year.
“Nothing new has been signed. There were some Iranians at a palm oil conference in Kuala Lumpur last week looking to make deals but nothing came out of that,” said an official with a Saudi food company with an edible oil refinery in Iran.
“It is difficult for us to run our own refinery. Freight costs are high and many of the companies in Iran are still waiting for a backlog of shipments to come through. These are deals made much earlier but the payment issues block this.”
In February, cargo surveyor Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS) reported that 27,100 tonnes of refined palm oil were exported to Iran, which traders said was a clearing off a backlog of orders made last year.
But in the first 10 days of March, no other Malaysian shipments to Iran were reported, data from SGS showed.
“There are no more direct deals with Iran. Some parties have been paid, mostly in the form of euros or yen,” said a trader with a Malaysian palm oil firm that used to deal with Iran. “I don't think they will use the euro route since it is still hard to process payment and banks are getting very wary.” - Reuters
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/16/business/10928792&sec=business

Is Liberia land grab by foreign firms sowing seed of future conflict?

Small farmers lose livelihoods as 'controversial' palm-oil producing multinational moves in. Much of rural Liberia's population lives on land that has been in the family for generations.

Most people don't have the money to go through the costly and complicated process of acquiring deeds, so under Liberian law the government is the owner of all public land.

Sando's land was not registered; therefore it belonged to the government. However, a report from the Centre for International Conflict Resolution (CICR), at Columbia University in the US, raises doubts about whether the future is quite so bright for the communities affected by the company's actions.

The report studied the impact on communities of investments by four companies: Golden Veroleum, Sime Darby, ArcelorMittal and Putu Iron Ore Mining Corporation.

The three-month study - based mainly on town hall meetings, focus group discussions and interviews with indigenous groups, public officials, UN staff, civil society activists, international organisations and corporate representatives - found that lack of consultation on the investment projects had resulted in "high tension" among communities.

Investment has flooded into Liberia since President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf rid the country of its crippling foreign debt. She has brought peace and development to the nation after 14 years of devastating civil war.

The country has signed natural resource deals with foreign investors, mainly in iron ore and palm oil, amounting to a total projected value of around $19bn. According to the report, an official from the ministry of planning said these deals cover almost half of the country's total landmass.
http://presstv.com/Program/231649.html

Palm oil scheme to name non-compliant members

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is to publish a list of members that are not meeting its code of conduct. The organisation, the largest sustainability roundtable for an agricultural commodity, will agree further sanctions later this year.

According to the RSPO code of conduct, members must draw up and implement a plan on the production, procurement and use of certified sustainable palm oil and must report annually on their progress to the multi-stakeholder scheme.
The plan must set a "sufficiently challenging" deadline to reach 100% production or use of certified oil, a phrase that members can interpret as they wish.
But many members have continued to ignore the requirements. Last year, 148 of 359 RSPO member palm oil producers, processors and retailers failed to report on progress, while significant numbers have not even set their own deadlines.
Last Thursday, the RSPO's annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, passed a resolution calling on all members to come up to scratch by the next AGM in November or face being named and possible (as yet unspecified) sanctions.

Most major European firms, including Tesco, Carrefour and IKEA, are complying with the scheme. Non-compliant members include BP, Kraft and Associated British Foods (ABF).
BP told ENDS that it intends to comply but gave no further details. Kraft said it had made some progress but did not say when it would report to the RSPO. ABF did not respond.

Delegates at last week's annual meeting also passed a resolution that will make it easier for future AGMs to reach quorum. The meeting had had to be rescheduled after failing to reach the required 50% quorum last November. In future, only 80 ordinary RSPO members will need to be present or represented to hold an AGM.

Court Decision Upsets Plantation Companies

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 03/03/2012 7:35 PM

The Constitutional Court’s recent decision to approve a request from a
number of local governments to change an article in the Forestry Law
has raised uncertainties over the legal status of land owned by
plantation companies and forest concession owners.

The chairman of the Indonesian Forestry Businessmen Association
(APHI), Nanang Rofandi, said in Jakarta on Friday that with the
court’s decision, the association’s members felt that the status of
their land had become uncertain.

“The ruling raises a lot of questions and confusion among us and we
now have no certainty in carrying out our business,” Nanang told The
Jakarta Post.

On Feb. 21, the court issued a ruling to drop the phrase “allocated
and/or”, which appears in the third paragraph of the Forestry Law’s
first article, at the request of regents from five regencies in
Central Kalimantan on the ground that the phrase made the article
contrary to the 1945 Constitution.

The regents also argued that the full sentence, which reads: “A
forested area is a certain area that is ‘allocated and/or’ determined
by the government as a permanent forest area”, gave an absolute
authority to the central government to declare some of their areas as
permanent forests.

With the original article, the plaintiff said, the central government
had the power to determine non-forest areas, which are already owned
by local people, to become forest areas. But legal experts say that
the removal of the phrase could lend even more power to the government
in determining forest areas.

Legal expert Hikmahanto Juwana, who is also the dean of the University
of Indonesia’s Law Faculty, said the deletion of the phrase did not
really change the meaning because there was no explanation on the
legal implication of the change.

“When we talk about the government, which government are we talking
about? The word ‘government’ is misleading because it can mean the
central government or the local government,” Hikmahanto told the Post.

He said that both central and local governments should sit together
and discuss further about the forestry issue. He also said that the
ruling still needed to make an explanation in order to make everything
clear.

“We discussed this issue at the Forestry Ministry today. We want them
to issue circulars that will help us to retain legality in our
business,” he said.

In line with the APHI, the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers’ Association
(GAPKI) also said that the legality of palm oil business activity in
Indonesia has become unclear following the courts’ decision.

“The ruling brings a lot of problems. We are going to consult with
legal experts about this issue in order to get some clarity for our
business,” GAPKI’s executive director, Fadhil Hasan, told the Post.

In a separate interview, Greenomics Indonesia executive director
Elfian Effendi said that all the Forestry Ministry’s decrees on
provincial forestry area allocations issued after Sept. 30, 1999, no
longer had a legal base as one of the reasons why the court decided to
change the article was because it contravened the Constitution.

Elfian added that the court’s ruling also effectively delegitimized
the presidential decrees on new permits and prime forest management,
and the forest spatial management plan (RTRW) in Sumatra, Kalimantan
and Sulawesi by removing their legal foundation.

“This is because the RTRW uses map attachments from a ministerial
decree that was issued after Sept. 30, 1999,” he said.

In addition, Greenomics said the ruling would also affect the Master
Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic
Development (MP3EI) because some of the economic programs included in
the MP3EI were based on ministerial decrees issued after Sept. 30,
1999, when the Forestry Law became effective.

In a separate interview, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said that
the ruling did not disadvantage any party, including businesspeople.“There is no party that is disadvantaged by the ruling,” Zulkifli told the Post.

He said the ruling benefited the government because it could help
speed up the program to establish forest boundaries in the country.
“This will strengthen efforts in establishing the forest land-use plan
[TGHK],” he said.

The minister added that the TGHK was very important for Indonesia as
the country possessed some 95 million hectares of forested land — the
largest amount in Southeast Asia — and played an important role in the
global fight against climate change and reducing gas emissions.

In addition, he said he had urged all regents across the country to
make an extra effort to accelerate the establishment of forest
boundary areas in their respective regions. He gave local governments
three months to complete the task.

According to Tahrir Fathoni, the ministry’s human resources
development chief, the ministry has requested assistance from
consultants and academics to help accelerate the task.

Tahrir said the ministry had outsourced more than 1,000 people to get
the job done.Normally, it takes a full year to obtain the results of a boundary area. (nfo)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/03/03/court-decision-upsets-plantation-companies.html