Rempang Island Land Conflict Flares Up Amidst School Project Tensions

While much of Indonesia celebrated its Independence Day with joy, the opposite unfolded in Kampung Kalat, Pantai Melayu, Rempang Island, Riau Islands Province (Kepri). Here, residents found themselves in a tense standoff with authorities. The tension arose after heavy machinery, escorted by various security elements, arrived at the site to prepare land for an integrated school project (formerly known as Sekolah Rakyat/SR). Residents had opposed the project from its inception. "Incidents like this continuously make us uneasy. We are always worried," said Sopia, Secretary of the Alliance of Rempang Galang Indigenous Communities (Amar-GB), in late August. According to her, two residents in Kampung Kalat, Gerisman and Rosnah, have yet to relinquish their land for the project. The government, however, remains unyielding. Instead of respecting their decision, authorities deployed heavy machinery and forcibly evicted them from their own land. The land measurement process for the Sekolah Rakyat in Rempang, which had previously been marked by tension due to 'encroaching' on residents' land. Photo: Amar GB. Sopia stated that the deployment of heavy machinery with full escort underscores the government's apparent failure to learn from the Rempang Ecocity (ERC) conflict in 2023. Despite resident opposition, security forces and the government are determined to forcibly clear and prepare Gerisman and Rosnah's land. Heavy machinery operated under the escort of police, Ditpam BP Batam, and Satpol PP, outnumbered the gathered residents. Pushing and shoving, along with verbal altercations between officers and residents, recurred. Rosnah even attempted to break through the security line towards the heavy machinery. Officers trying to block her caused Rosnah to fall and roll, losing consciousness. A video of the incident also went viral on social media. Source: Mongabay Indonesia