TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, previously issued a report mentioning alleged human rights violations in the construction of the mega-tourism project in Mandalika, West Nusa Tenggara.

As reported on srpoverty.org, the experts said, “Credible sources have found that the local residents were subjected to threats and intimidation and forcibly evicted from their land without compensation. Despite these findings, the ITDC has not sought to pay compensation or settle the land disputes."

Mandalika, in Lombok’s poor West Nusa Tenggara Province, is set to be turned into an integrated tourism complex, comprising a Grand Prix motorcycle race circuit, parks, luxury hotels and resorts, including Pullman, Paramount Resort, and Club Med.

Moreover, this aligns with Tempo’s findings in a report covering the construction of the Mandalika Circuit published in Tempo Magazine October 3, 2020, edition. According to the report, the circuit’s construction has left cases of land disputes and intimidations against local residents.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara on September 30, 2020, had met with West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Governor Zulkieflimansyah in Mataram. This meeting was driven by the numerous reports of local land disputes in the region.

“We urge developers of the Mandalika Circuit to temporarily stop their activities over land areas that are still in dispute as payments have yet been fulfilled,” said Beka to Tempo Magazine on October 2, 2020.

The Tempo report mentioned cases where locals that are affected by the construction have yet received compensation but at the same time have their land already evicted. Some of the locals have even won lawsuits against similar cases in court. At the time, Komnas HAM said there were 16 plots of land that were being disputed.

However, acting as the representative of the developer of the Mandalika Circuit, Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) corporate secretary Miranti Nasti Rendranti called for people who claim to have evidence of the allegations to process them in court.

“The claims that are mentioned must be completed or proven in court proceedings,” said Rendranti.

Read the complete report in Tempo Magazine: 'Before Rossi Races at Mandalika.'

EGI ADYATAMA