Land Measurement Process Phase II Of Wadas Village Colored By Demonstration At The Village Head's House

Demonstrators in front of the Wadas village head office/ Photo: IST

JAKARTA - Approximately 100 residents of Wadas Village, Purworejo Regency who are members of the Wadas Village Nature Care Community Movement (Gempadewa) held a silent action around the village which ended at the Wadas Village Office, Thursday, July 14.

This action is aimed at the government which continues to measure the land owned by residents in Wadas Village to become an andesite mining location.

“We did the silent act because we were at a loss for words. We have protested dozens of times and taken legal action, but the government has never listened to us,” said Siswanto, one of the youth leaders in Wadas Village.

Earthquakedewa members carried out this silent action when the Land Office of Purworejo Regency conducted an inventory and identification of land acquisition in Wadas Village Phase II.

The process of measuring land owned by residents who submitted their land for mining was carried out from Tuesday, July 12, to Friday, July 15.

The location of the andesite mine itself will take residents' land of approximately 146 hectares located in the hills in Wadas.

Demonstrators in front of the Wadas village head office/ Photo: IST

The stone will be used to build the Bener Dam which is designated as a National Strategic Project (PSN) which is also located in Purworejo.

"This action is a form of our attitude that the Wadas people are not subject to compensation money, we are still against the government's plan to mine andesite stones on our agricultural land," said Siswanto.

At around 13.30, the residents started their action from Randuparang Hamlet, they walked along the village road and ended up at Wadas Village Kanor.

The members of the Earthquake, consisting of men and women, covered their mouths with duct tape, a symbol they had lost for words, besek hats, a symbol of the Wadas women's tradition which will be lost because bamboo as the raw material for making besek will be extinct due to mining, and bring plant seeds as symbol of their consistency in protecting nature.

Meanwhile, Sulimah, a member of Wadon Wadas, explained that the money affixed to the front is a symbol that nature as a gift from God cannot be replaced with money.

"We are not dazzled by the billions of rupiah in compensation so that we have the heart to destroy nature," said Sulimah.

Previously, the Land Procurement Committee (P2T) for the Bener Dam Project in Purworejo Regency carried out measurements of land parcels in Wadas Village, a village affected by the construction of a national strategic project.

Wadas Village Head (Kades), Fachri Setyanto said the activity was a continuation of similar activities that were carried out before last Eid.

Several hundred plots in Wadas Village are planned to be used as quarry locations for the construction of the Bener Dam national strategic project, which is located not far from the village.

Fachri denied that there was any tension from the residents at the time of taking the measurements. He said, Wadas' situation so far is conducive and the process is running smoothly.

Demonstrators in front of the Wadas village head office/ Photo: IST

"Even residents who initially refused are now asking to be measured. All are voluntary. It is not true to say that there was pressure from thugs and so on," said Village Head Fachri, in a written statement, Thursday, July 14.

He invited all parties to observe the current situation of Wadas directly. The conducive situation in Wadas, according to him, has been going on for a long time.

"Basically, the residents of our village are good. They are farmers and cultivators who have never had any problems since before, before the arrival of outside parties," he added.