Dozens of families living in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, fear they will lose their land to make way for the construction of the new Kuala Namu airport.
As many as 71 families have been distressed by a warning letter from state plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara II, which plans to evict residents still living on the grounds for the new airport, which is under construction and is expected to start operation in 2009.
The residents fear the company will use security forces to evict those who refuse to vacate the land.
The letter, signed by the company's administrator W. Purnomohadi on May 30, states the residents have three days to vacate the area, otherwise they will be evicted by force.
"If you fail to vacate your homes, the company will not be responsible for any eviction action taken," Purnomohadi stated in the letter.
He said the areas where the residents currently live -- in Kuala Namu village, Beringin district -- will be developed into a new airport, which will replace ailing Polonia Airport in Medan.
Head of the Kuala Namu village association, Suhelman, said the residents were not prepared to leave, despite the warning.
He said the residents vowed to fight the eviction.
"We have prepared sharpened lengths of bamboo and aim to keep what is rightfully ours, using any means," Suhelman told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He said the residents rejected the eviction since the compensation offered to them was lower than expected.
He said the residents, who work at a nearby plantation, were only offered Rp 2.3 million each in compensation. Retired workers were each offered Rp 4.3 million and contract workers who are paid on daily basis were only offered Rp 250,000 in compensation.
Suhelman said the residents demanded to be relocated to a 47-hectare section of land located east of Kuala Namu, but their demands were not met.
"That's why we are ready to fight for our land," he said, adding residents had lived in the area since 1918.
He said of the 300 families that had lived in Kuala Namu since that time, only 71 remained. Each family occupies around 1,200 square meters of land.
During a visit to the proposed airport site last month, State Minister for State Enterprises Sofyan Djalil and Transportation Minister Jusman Syafi'i Djamal said there were still problems associated with clearing 2,365 hectares of land for the construction of the Kuala Namu airport.
Sofyan asked the Deli Serdang administration to deal with the land issue.
The new Kuala Namu airport is expected to begin operation in September 2009.
Source : www.thejakartapost.com
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