Rights Body Proposes Special Board To Handle Land Disputes

Kuta (Antara Bali) - The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) his proposing the formation of a special body to resolve land disputes between local communities and palm oil plantation companies, its chief said.

"We are proposing this as land disputes are so far being settled on a cross-sectoral basis," Komnas HAM Chief Ifdhal Kasim  said here on Monday.

In addition, he said, the government must review the bodies that were so far dealing with agrarian conflicts in the country.

Ifdhal said to improve the mechanism to handle land disputes  agencies that had the authority to settle land disputes must unit.

"We also call for the immediate legal reforms by amending the plantation law which is now seen as favoring companies' interests," he said.

He expressed hope that the law could be amended to better protect the public interest.

Likewise, the Komnas HAM chief expected plantation land use rights which now covered 35 years in the first phase could be reduced. "We hope the period of time could be reduced so that it will not be that long," he said.

He also asked police to clarify the use  of Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel in their efforts to help resolve existing land disputes.

"Based on clarification from the national police chief, the legal basis for the deployment of security personnel was that oil palm plantations constitute part of vital industry that must be protected by the state," he said.

Yet not all disputes must be treated in the same way and therefore, there must be a parameter to consider each of the disputes, he said.(*)