Tragedi pengeroyokan, pembantaian, penculikan dan pembunuhan terhadap anggota Serikat Tani Tebo (STT), Desa Lubuk Mandarsah, Kabupaten Tebo, Indra Pelani, yang diduga dilakukan oleh 7 orang tenaga keamanan Unit Reaksi Cepat (URC) perusahaan Hutan Tanaman Industri PT. Wira Karya Sakti, milik Asia Pulp dan Paper (APP), pada Jumat, 27 Februari 2015, tidak bisa dipisahkan dari adanya konflik lahan berkepanjangan antara PT. WKS dan Desa Lubuk Mandarsah.
Desa Lubuk Mandarsah adalah desa tua yang terdiiri atas beberapa dusun dan diakui pemerintah sejak sekitar tahun 1975, dan mereka berkonflik dengan PT. WKS sejak awal masuknya perusahaan sekitar tahun 2004, atas ribuan hektar lahan. Setelah PT. WKS melakukan panen terhadap akasia, saat ini lebih kurang 100 hektar-nya sudah dikelola oleh masyarakat untuk pertanian tradisional berupa palawija. Antara masyarakat dan PT. WKS juga pernah terlibat bentrok di tahun 2007[i] dimana 12 alat berat perusahaan dibakar dan 9 warga ditangkap dan ditahan. Menteri Kehutanan, MS Kaban pada waktu itu datang ke lokasi, namun persoalan konflik lahan juga tidak terselesaikan dengan baik, sehingga saat tensi dan konflik terus berlangsung hingga saat ini.

Pembunuhan terhadap Indra, bermula ketika korban bersama temannya, Nick Karim dari WALHI Jambi melintas di pos penjagaan PT. WKS di Distrik 8. Mereka hendak masuk lokasi pertanian masyarakat yang berada dalam konsesi PT. WKS untuk mempersiapkan upacara panen raya yang akan dilakukan esok hari-nya. Namun keduanya dihadang oleh tim Unit Reaksi Cepat (URC) PT. WKS dan kemudian terjadi pemukulan brutal terhadap Indra hingga tewas secara menggenaskan. Jasad Indra sendiri baru ditemukan pada tanggal 28 Februari pukul 09.00 WIB yang lokasinya sekitar 7 km dari tempat kejadian dengan tangan dan kaki terikat.

Atas peristiwa tragis dan memilukan ini kami NGO dan masyarakat sipil yang bertandatangan disini, menyampaikan dan juga mendesak pihak – piha terkait ;
Menyatakan duka yang mendalam atas meninggalnya saudara seperjuangan kami, Indra Pelani. Dan kami berdiri tegak bersama keluarga, teman dan petani untuk bersama-sama memberikan dukungan yang diperlukan dalam masah sulit ini.
Menunda keterlibatan dalam semua diskusi formal terkait komitmen social, konservasi dan restorasi dengan Asia Pulp dan Paper, sampai ada kejelasan, keterbukan dan keadilan terhadap penanganan peristiwa Indra Pelani.

Mendesak pihak kepolisian untuk tidak hanya melihat ini sebagai kriminal biasa, namun harus dilihat akar masalahnya, dan melakukan investigasi yang adil dan terbuka, mencari semua pihak yang terlibat, serta melakukan penegakan hukum yang adil.
Mendesak pemerintah untuk bekerjasama dengan semua pihak kunci (Termasuk Masyarakat, pihak swasta dan NGO) untuk segera menyelesaikan konflik – konflik terkait sumber daya alam, sehingga kekerasan yang muncul akibat konflik berkepanjangan tidak terjadi dimasa yang datang. Pemerintah juga perlu menghentikan pemberian izin baru Hutan Tanaman Industri, menerapkan proteksi penuh kawasan hutan tersisa dan membuat kebijakan baru yang mewajibkan setiap perusahaan terkait pengelolaan SDA untuk dalam operasionalnya melaksanakan persetujuan tanpa paksaan, Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC).

Mendesak KOMNAS HAM untuk melakukan investigasi secara menyeluruh terkait kasus Indra Pelani.
Mendesak kepada APP untuk mendukung dan bekerjasama dengan penegak hukum untuk melakukan investigasi guna pengungkapan kasus ini secara adil dan terbuka, dan bersama-sama dengan WALHI Jambi dan lainnya mencari langkah – langkah yang diperlukan untuk menyelesaikan kasus ini. APP juga harus mematuhi dan melaksanakan rekomendasi dari investigasi yang dilakukan, mencegah intimidasi dan memastikan keamanan dari petani, masyarakat dan NGOs; menghentikan penggunaan unit pengamanan khusus seperti URC dalam semua konsesi dan pemasok APP. Penting juga bagi APP untuk bekerja dan menyetujui bersama standar operasional prosedur pengadaan dan tata cara pengamanan di dalam konsesi mereka, dan memastikan bahwa peristiwa ini tidak terjadi lagi di daerah lain.

Mendesak kepada seluruh pembeli, konsumen dan pemberi dana untuk menunda bekerjasama dengan APP sampai, tidak hanya konflik dan kasus ini namun juga keseluruhan konflik dalam konsesi APP dan pemasoknya ada kesepakatan dengan pihak kunci (Masyarakat dan NGO terkait) mengenai strategi dan rencana kerja penyelesaian konflik dan capaian yang memuaskan.

[i] Soal konflik lahan WKS http://www.pelita.or.id/baca.php?id=43858

[ii] The joint NGO evaluation report detailing APP’s lack of community conflict resolution also reported on the conflict between APP and Lubuk Mandarsah and other communities:http://www.ran.org/app_social_commitment_performance_2015_f…

OPEN JOIN LETTER FROM NGOs AND CIVIL SOCIETY ON THE BRUTAL MURDER OF A FARMER IN JAMBI PROVINCE – INDONESIA

To whom it may concern
The tragic beating, abduction and brutal murder of Indra Pelani, a leader of the Serikat Tani Tebo farmer’s union from Lubuk Mandarsah Village, District Tebo, Jambi Province, that was allegedly perpetrated by seven members of PT.Wira Karya Sakti’s (PT. WKS) security forces on Friday – February 27th, 2015, cannot be disconnected from the long standing land conflict between the community of Lubuk Mandarsah and PT. WKS. PT. Wira Karya Sakti is owned by the giant pulp and paper company Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).
Lubuk Mandarsah is an old village comprised of several hamlets, and was officially recognized by the Indonesian government in 1975. The Lubuk Mandarsah community has been in conflict over PT. WKS’s appropriation of thousands of hectares of community lands for pulp plantations since it started operations in the area in 2004. In 2007, the tension came to a head when the community had a confrontation with PT. WKS and 12 heavy vehicles were burned and nine community members were jailed. Despite an investigation and visit by MS. Kaban, Forest Minister at the time, no agreement or resolution was reached. The land conflict and tensions between the company and community continue until today. After the last pulp wood harvest by PT. WKS, community members reclaimed about 100 hectares of their lands for the cultivation of rice and vegetables.
On the day of the murder, the “Tebo Farmers Union (Serikat Petani Tebo)” and wider community had planned a rice harvest festival in the reclaimed lands. After picking up Nick Karim of Walhi from a nearby location, Indra and Nick came to a gated security check point on their way to the festival. Plain clothed security guards from the Rapid Response Unit (URC) allegedly confronted and taunted Indra then, unprovoked, hit Indra in the head and threw him of the motorbike. Indra’s corpse was found the next day in plantation area about 7 km away from PT. WKS’s security guard post. Indra’s body was found covered by bruises, cuts and stab wounds. His mouth was gaged and his hands and legs were bound.
This tragedy underscores the conclusions of the joint NGO report about APP’s performance on its social responsibility commitments published in January 2015. The NGO report and the independent evaluation of APP’s progress in meeting the company’s Forest Conservation Policy published in February 2015 found that hundreds of conflicts remain in APP’s concessions. NGOs reported a serious lack of progress in resolving land conflicts in the concessions of APP and its suppliers and provided recommendations to the company.
Bearing in mind these tragic events, the undersigned NGOs and civil society organizations hereby:
1. Declare our deep sorrow on the death of our comrade, Indra Pelani, our sympathy for his family and community and our solidarity and support for his family, friends, farmers union and community in this difficult time.
2. Suspend formal discussion and/or cooperation about social policy, conservation and restoration with APP, until this case is settled and shown to be handled fairly and transparently.
3. Urge the relevant authorities not only to investigate and prosecute this case as an isolated case of premeditated murder, but also to investigate and report on the root causes underlying this brutal murder, and identify all parties implicated in Indra’s killing.
4. Urge the Indonesian government to work hand in hand with key stakeholders (i.e. NGOs, private sector and communities) to address the legacy of long standing natural resource and land conflicts and take steps to prevent such tragic incidents from happening again in the future. Among other actions, we urge government to maintain the moratorium on issuing new industrial pulp wood plantation permits until effective policies and their implementation are in place that prevent land conflicts and protect remaining natural forests. One key measure would include new regulations that mandate and verify the right of affected communities to give our withhold their Free, Prior and Informed Consent has been upheld prior to new permits to land and natural resources being allocated.
5. Urge KOMNAS HAM (Indonesian Human Right Commission) to conduct a comprehensive investigation of Indra Pelani’s case.
6. Demand that APP: not hinder or interfere and fully and transparently cooperate with the authorities conducting the criminal investigation and prosecution of this case; fully cooperate with and provide information to independent investigations about the circumstances, underlying causes and remedies of this case by Walhi and others; undertake recommendations coming out of these investigations; prevent intimidation and ensure the safety of farmers union and community members and NGOs; eliminate the use of plain clothed security (such as the Unit Reaksi Cepat or Rapid Reaction Unit implicated in Indra’s murder) in all APP and supplier concessions and agree with key stakeholders on revisions to APP’s security related SOPs.
7. Call on pulp and paper customer’s and investors to suspend association with APP until this case is settled and until a comprehensive strategy – including structural reforms – for addressing conflict and action plans for resolving conflict in Lubuk Mandarsah and across APP and suppliers concessions are agreed with affected communities and key stakeholders and are being satisfactorily implemented.