PALMOILMAGAZINE, PEKANBARU — The Forum of Riau Communities Affected by Forest and Land Governance welcomed the National Human Rights Commission’s (Komnas HAM) recommendations on resolving the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) conflict, calling them a positive step.
Forum spokesperson Abdul Aziz said the recommendations align with local residents’ expectations for a comprehensive, law-based resolution.
“We are ordinary citizens, not separatists or armed groups. The solution should not involve pressure, coercion, or intimidation,” Aziz stated in a press release quoted by Palmoilmagazine.com on Sunday (Aug 24, 2025). He criticized the presence of armed military posts around TNTN, including near confiscation signs, saying they only escalate tensions.
Aziz also argued that the establishment of TNTN was flawed from the start, violating spatial planning laws—specifically Government Regulation (PP) No. 47/1997 and PP No. 26/2008 on National Spatial Planning. He accused forestry authorities of neglect after the park’s designation, leaving communities to bear the blame and be labeled as encroachers.
He further noted that public discourse often frames smallholders as culprits under the label “cukong,” while overlooking the fact that the area has long been exploited by logging companies holding forest concession (HPH) permits since 1974.
“In TNTN’s overlapping area, 13 companies unlawfully control 153,000 hectares of land. From timber alone, the state lost an estimated Rp7.4 trillion. Why have these companies not been prosecuted, while communities remain the ones constantly pursued?” Aziz said. (P2)
