Land Dispute Resolution:

KT Sekato Jaya and PT Wirakarya Sakti (on-going)

Background:

In 2008 PT WKS began development of HTI at Muara Kilis and in 2013 PT WKS harvested the puplwood at Muara Kilis. In 2013 there was a request from the Government of Tebo Regency, Jambi Province to PT WKS to support the government’s Food Self-Sufficiency Program and based on the request, PT WKS agreed to carry out a Food Self-Sufficiency Program in the formerly harvested area. This program involved the Department of Plantation and Agriculture of the Tebo Regency and the community participating in this program were from the Lubuk Mandarsah village community. The number of participants were from approximately 30 family head (Kepala Keluarga) involving the program area of 300 hectares.

In 2013 to 2014 the Sekato Jaya group led by Mr Jais, without the knowledge of PT WKS, encroached the allocated program area and carried out field rice planting activities. At the same time, the very same group also went ahead and planted plantation crops such as rubber and oil palm in the area designated for the rice crop program (also known as Swa Sembada Pangan).

In 2014, while the on-going dispute resolution process with PPJ had reach object verification stage, the community from Lubuk Mandarsah decided to quit PPJ and established the Tebo Tani Union (KT Sekato Jaya), assisted by a local NGO. Since then, the local NGO has been the organization that accompanied KT Sekato Jaya in the land dispute resolution process with PT WKS.

In 2015 efforts to resolve the conflict between PT WKS and the Sekato Jaya group were carried out through their advisor, the local NGO. The communication process and meetings in the context of conflict resolution were carried out intensively. While seeking a permanent settlement process, PT WKS and the Sekato Jaya Group agreed on several things, including:

1. The division of zones in the area claimed by the Sekato Jaya Group. The area is divided into 3 zones; Red Zone (area that has been cultivated by the community), Yellow Zone (Area that has been planted by the company with acacia plantation), and Blue Zone (Area that has not been used by both parties)
2. Both parties also agreed on the method of communication protocol to avoid miscommunication and/or conflicts in the field.
3. To conduct jointly inspections of the fields in the disputed area, the local NGO and the Sekato Jaya Group will prepare data on members of Sekato Jaya as well as a map of the area claimed.

While waiting for the completion of data preparation by the local NGO and Sekato Jaya, PT WKS conveyed an open invitation to co-operate in the Yellow Zone area by initiating several programs, which includes:

1. Joint Patrolling to prevent forest fires
2. Provide opportunities to the community to come in as operational workers on plantation

In 2021, the community data and maps since 2015 was yet to be completed. As such, on June 15, 2021 PT WKS, the local NGO and the Sekato Jaya Group held another meeting to discuss the continuation of the conflict resolution mentioned above. During the meeting it was agreed that:

1. The local NGO and Sekato Jaya will complete data collection and map preparation of the claimed area within 1 month.
2. PT WKS will facilitate the communication on the construction of several needs of the Sekato Jaya group such as bridges and road repairs with the village government.

In October 2021, PT WKS security found two men encroaching a planted area. Upon checking their identification cards, the two men were identified to be residents of Lampung Province. It was not known the motives of these two men who were encroaching an area 600 km away from their origin in Lampung Province. On that basis, the security team decided to hand the two men over to the police for further investigation and action.

Several meetings have taken place involving all the concerned parties in order to resolve this ongoing matter. Amid stalled negotiations, horizontal conflicts within the community have emerged, weakening solidarity and delaying the resolution of the conflict with PT WKS.

Further to 2021, given the health situation of the lead of the community member, discussions between parties became stagnant. Following this, in mid-2024, APP with EcoNusantara involved WALHI to assist with further discussion on moving forward.

WALHI discussed with the community which resulted in several outcomes, such as:

1. Dispute Resolution Targets for 2025:

• The group agreed to set clear targets for resolving land disputes, focusing on recognising community-managed land, even if the output remains suboptimal.
• However, there is an ongoing disagreement between the company and KT Sakato Jaya on what qualifies as productive and non-productive land.
• KT Sekato Jaya defines productive land as any area cultivated with crops such as oil palm, areca nut, banana, rubber, citrus, and horticultural plants, which support livelihoods based on local knowledge and capabilities.

2. Land Management Agreements:

• KT Sekato Jaya has agreed to collaborate on lands that are not yet under its members’ control. However, they request that the company not interfere with lands already managed by their members.
• Any land outside these agreed parameters will be addressed in upcoming multi-stakeholder meetings involving the WKS, KT Sekato Jaya, and facilitators.

3. Plans for Member Engagement:

A general meeting will be held to update members on the conflict resolution process, secure their agreement and improve communication on key developments and next steps.

APP, through EcoNusantara working together with WALHI, is committed to accelerating the conflict resolution process to achieve a progressive, lasting solution.

This page will continue to be updated with further progress.

Source: APP