Denying Involved In The Dismantling Of Houses, NTT Police: Our Personnel Are Indeed There, But Not Participating

The NTT Regional Police denied being involved in the demolition of a resident's house in Besipae, South Central Timor Regency. (Between)

East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Police denied that any of its members were involved in the demolition of a resident's house in Besipae, South Central Timor Regency.

"Our personnel were indeed there during the demolition, but it did not participate in dismantling. The presence of the police in Besipae was to secure the activities carried out by the provincial government," said Head of Public Relations of the NTT Police, Kombes Pol Ariasandy when confirmed, Sunday, October 23 afternoon.

Ariasandy conveyed this in response to the circulation of a video that had gone viral on social media about police personnel participating in dismantling the houses of residents in Besipae, South Central Timor, on Friday, October 21.

The former South Central Timor Police Chief said that the officers who carried out the control or demolition were the NTT Provincial Government Civil Service Police Unit and several other regional government officers.

He emphasized that the presence of Polri personnel at the location was based on a letter from the Regional Secretariat of the NTT Provincial Government with the number: BU.030/694/BPAD/2022 dated October 17, 2022 regarding requests for security assistance in the context of controlling or dismantling illegally inhabited houses.

"Following up on the security request letter, the TTS (South Central Timor) Police Chief issued a sprin (order) involving several members of the police with the number: Sprint/373/X/HUK.6.6/2022 dated October 19, 2022 to carry out security for the activity in question starting from October 20, 2022 until it is finished", he explained, confiscated by Antara.

Land conflicts involving Besipae residents and the NTT Provincial Government have resurfaced after several years ago the viral video of a number of mothers (mothers) shirtlessly confronting the Governor of NTT Viktor B. Laiskodat.

Now there is another act of demolishing the house that was previously built by the NTT Provincial Government after about two years of being occupied by local residents.

Head of the Regional Revenue and Asset Agency of the Regional Secretariat of NTT Alex Lumban added that the houses that were demolished were houses originally built by the NTT Provincial Government for 37 families. However, after being built, only 19 houses were occupied, while the other 18 families did not occupy the house.

"When the government wanted to carry out development activities in the Besipae area some time ago, a number of residents appeared who were fighting back by occupying houses that they had previously stopped, and there were even new faces who also occupied these houses," said Alex Lumban.

According to him, the NTT Provincial Government has the intention to process land certificates for residents in Besipae, each 800 square meters. However, the provincial government has difficulty obtaining data on residents who are entitled to share the land.

This is considering that many new residents have sprung up, then claiming to be the party entitled to land in Besipae.