PALMOILMAGAZINE, BOGOR — Tensions have flared once again in the South Bengkulu palm oil belt after five farmers from Pino Raya were hospitalized with gunshot wounds, allegedly fired by security personnel of PT Agro Bengkulu Selatan (ABS) on Monday, 24 November. The incident has reopened old wounds in Indonesia’s long-running agrarian conflicts, many of which stem from plantation disputes.
Sawit Watch Executive Director Achmad Surambo condemned the violence, calling it more than a clash between villagers and a company. He described it as a grave violation of human rights taking place on land whose legal status is deeply questionable.
“Spatial analysis and checks on the BHUMI ATR/BPN portal show no HGU (land use title) registered under PT ABS in that location. The HGU belongs instead to another firm, PT Jatropha Solutions. This strongly suggests PT ABS has been operating illegally,” Surambo said in a statement received by Palmoilmagazine.com on Thursday (27/11/2025).
He emphasized that, under Constitutional Court Decision No. 138/2015, every plantation company must possess both a land title (HGU) and a plantation business permit (IUP) before operating. Without these documents, corporate activities are deemed unconstitutional.
“The bullets that struck the farmers are not just evidence of violence—they symbolize corporate arrogance operating without lawful authority,” he said.
Call for a Full Investigation
Surambo urged the DPR RI’s Special Committee on Agrarian Conflict Resolution to prioritize the case. He said the company and its parent group must be formally summoned to account for their operations and the alleged use of excessive force.
He also called on the Ministry of ATR/BPN to release HGU data transparently. “How can a company with no HGU operate for years and even evict local residents?” he questioned.
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Furthermore, Surambo pressed South Bengkulu Police to conduct a thorough investigation, including identifying the intellectual actors behind the shooting. He also urged the South Bengkulu regional government to freeze all PT ABS activities until legal issues are resolved—along with a demand that nearby palm oil mills stop purchasing FFB from PT ABS as a stance against illegal operations.
“Buying FFB from a problematic company means financing unlawful activities,” he said.
Sawit Watch also criticized the government’s plan to expand palm oil plantations by up to 600,000 hectares in 2026 to support the B50 biodiesel mandate. Surambo warned that such expansion could fuel even more agrarian conflicts nationwide.
“Large-scale expansion without resolving existing conflicts will only worsen the situation. The plan needs serious reconsideration,” he stated. (P2)
