Absolution of Sin for the Forest Demolishers

Hendarto, the head of consulting, processing, marketing, and development of West Kalimantan Plantation Business, said the difference in the number was due to different data between the regional government and KLHK. "The map that was used was a site permit map, it must refer to a plantation permit map instead. The task force also never coordinated with the regional government on this issue. Even though the regional government is the custodian of the data," he said.

Meanwhile, the SIAR agency recorded that oil palm plantations in West Kalimantan forests reached 109,000 hectares. "This is nine times the area of Bogor City," said SIAR Executive Director Erlangga Rizky Ananta. He added that there's negligence in the case of private oil palm plantations in forest areas because it has been going on for so long.

The situation is even worse in Riau. Based on Greenpeace records, approximately 1,232,614 hectares of oil palm plantations in Riau are located in forest areas. This makes Riau the province with the largest area of problematic oil palm plantations in Indonesia.

One of the palm oil companies allegedly involved in forest clearance is PT Palma Satu, a subsidiary of the Darmex Group. This company has cleared about 12,277 hectares of forest for oil palm plantations in Penyaguan village, Batang Gansal district, Indragiri Hulu regency.

Marwan, the head of Penyaguan Village, confirmed that the oil palm plantation managed by PT Palma Satu in the village was previously a forest area. “It was indeed a forest area,” he said.

According to Marwan, PT Palma Satu started to clear the forest there in 2004, causing damage to the forest ecosystem that is the basis of the people's livelihood. From 2006 to 2020, the villagers tried to resist, only to be arrested. "Almost every day we chase away the heavy machinery that works in this forest," said Marwan.

In addition to PT Palma Satu, several other companies planted oil palms surrounding the Penyaguan Village. Most of them are companies under the Duta Palma Group (Darmex Group). They are Banyu Bening Utama, PT Kencana Amal Tani, PT Palm Lestari Makmur and PT Panca Agri Lestari. The total oil palm land area is expected to be approximately 50,000 hectares.

“All of them, the plantations are in forest areas,” Marwan said.

Surrounded by palm oil companies, the village of Penyaguan is not thriving. The people lost almost all of their agricultural land, while the companies chose to import workers from outside the village. The lack of jobs in the village forced people to migrate. "Currently, what's owned by our village is only the road, the rest is plantations owned by companies," Marwan said.

Arya Sitepu, a public relations officer for PT Palma Satu, claimed he was not aware that their land was in forest areas. He argued that there was no clear statement from KLHK. However, Arya admitted that his side was proposing to release a forest area in Indragiri Hulu.

"Well, yesterday the Riau LHK Department conducted a survey on our plantation," he said. The survey conducted by the Riau LHK department, Arya said, included five companies of the Darmex Group in the areas near Penyaguan Village in Batang Gansal Subdistrict.

"There's a separate department for licensing. So I am not familiar with this matter," he said.

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