Walhi, YLBHI to Assist Batam Residents Amid Threats of Human Rights Violations
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15 August 2023 21:34 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) and Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) are set to assist thousands of Rempang residents in Batam. YLBHI said that there is a potential for serious human rights violations in the Rempang Eco-city development plan.
Edy Kurniawan, Head of Advocacy and Network YLBHI said that development is inevitable to advance the country. However, the most important thing is to ensure the safety of the residents living surrounding the area. "The government has to honor the rights of the affected residents, whether the legal rights, the property rights, and traditional rights," he said on Monday, August 14, 2023.
Edy emphasized that not even one resident of the affected area ought to be abandoned, let alone the expected 10,000 people from 4,000 households. "To evict the residents using development as an excuse, especially after they refused, is unlawful and a violation of human rights," Edy said.
YLBHI highlighted the alleged criminalization of Rempang residents who opposed the eviction. Recently, several of them were summoned by the Riau regional police as suspects in criminal acts.
According to Edy, this is a series of legal intimidation and attempts to criminalize the residents of Rempang. "We found that there is an attempt to criminalize the residents using articles of fraud, control over land in forest areas, spatial breach, and corruption," he said.
The residents of Rempang, said Edy, needs their rights to be fulfilled, including the right to life, right to occupation, right to education, and right to an adequate standard of living. "We are worried that the attempt to wrongfully enforce the law against the residents might be a serious breach of human rights," he added.
