Involve POM TNI, Commander Searches Allegations Of Persons Being Backing Land Disputes On Pulau Rempang

TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono stated that the TNI had dispatched a team from the military police on Pulau Rempang, Batam, Riau Islands to prevent TNI soldiers from being involved in the dispute over land ownership at the location.

"We have dispatched the TNI Military Police (POM), do not let TNI soldiers be involved, maybe what is called provocateurs, or maybe have illegal lands there. We give an appeal," said Admiral Yudo, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, September 12.

Yudo continued, he also received a report from the Central Military Police Commander (Danpuspom) TNI Marshal Muda TNI Agung Handoko that he had also sent a joint team for the TNI POM Task Force to Pulau Rempang.

Meanwhile, regarding the security situation on Rempang Island, the TNI Commander conveyed that the position of TNI soldiers was still only assisting the police.

"From the start, we conveyed to the Pangdam and Pangarmada, danlantamal, andrem there, the TNI there (Rempang Island) is in the nature of assistance to the Police," said Admiral Yudo.

A number of community groups on the island of Rempang clashed with the police on Thursday last week, because residents refused land measurements for the construction of Rempang Eco-City from the Batam Concession Agency (BP).

Pulau Rempang, yang luasnya kurang 17,000 hektare, direncanakan menjadi kawasan ekonomi terintegrasi yang menghubungkan sektor industri, jasa dan komersial, residential/permukiman, agro-tourism, dan pengembangan energi baru dan terbarukan (EBT).

Regarding the clashes, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD asked the police to handle the mass action on Pulau Rempang, Batam, Riau Islands with full humanity.

"Yes, we still legally ask law enforcement officials to deal with the crowd or demonstrations or those that hinder the execution of the right to law to be handled properly and fully humanely," Mahfud MD said last week.

On the same occasion, Mahfud explained that the state has given the right to land on Pulau Rempang, Batam, Riau Islands to the company.

He said the decree (SK) regarding the granting of land rights was issued in 2001 and 2002.

"The legal problem is also to remember, many people do not know, the land, the Rempang ( Island) has been given its rights by the state to a company, a company entity to be used in business rights. That's the island of Rempang. It was 2001, 2002," said Mahfud.

However, in 2004, the right to use the land was granted to other parties.

Before investors entered, this land had apparently not been worked on and had never been supplied so that in 2004 and so on it followed with several decisions, the land was given new rights to other people to live in. In fact, his rights decree was issued in 2001, 2002 legally, "said Mahfud MD.

He continued that the situation became complicated when investors began to enter the island of Rempang in 2022.

"When yesterday in 2022 the investor will enter, the right holder comes there, it turns out that the land has been occupied. Then, it was ordered that it turned out that there was an error from the local government and the central government, in this case the Ministry of Environment and Forestry," said Mahfud MD.

Therefore, the error was straightened out, so that the land rights were still owned by the company as the decree issued in 2001 and 2002.

"This land emptying process is now the source of the commotion. It's not the right to land, it's not the right to use it, it's not. But the process, because it's been a long time, people there suddenly have to leave. Although, according to law, it's not allowed, because there is a right for people, except for a certain period of more than 20 years, "said the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia as well.