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Residents resist geothermal project
Hundreds of people from a number of villages in South Lampung regency continued to occupy facilities owned by the geothermal company, PT Supreme Energy Rajabasa (SERB), following a rally-turned-riot in Sukaraja village, Rajabasa district, in South Lampung on Tuesday
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undreds of people from a number of villages in South Lampung regency continued to occupy facilities owned by the geothermal company, PT Supreme Energy Rajabasa (SERB), following a rally-turned-riot in Sukaraja village, Rajabasa district, in South Lampung on Tuesday.
During the event, protesters damaged SERB employee housing and set fire to a security post located in the village.
Allegedly, those responsible for the riot were locals affiliated with the Ancestral Mass Organization (AMO) from Tetaan, Pisang, Kesugihan and Canti villages in Kalianda district, South Lampung.
On Tuesday afternoon, members of the group allegedly set fire to several facilities owned by SERB in a show of opposition to the Mount Rajabasa geothermal exploration project. The protest generated no response from the company or the South Lampung regency administration.
Rally coordinator Suheri said that on June 16 the group sent a warning letter to the company and the administration. He said 25 resident representatives demanded that SERB and the administration halt geothermal drilling activities on M. Rajabasa by June 23 at the latest.
'However, as of June 24, SERB was still carrying out drilling, so we were forced to stop it,' said Suheri.
Earlier, the company stated it had received a permit from Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan to carry out geothermal exploration on M. Rajabasa.
Regarding the riot, South Lampung Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bayu Ali said the protesters had carried sharp weapons and pointed bamboo poles.
He said that when he arrived at the scene, the crowd was attempting to break in and vandalize the security post as well as employee housing, which were both built from containers.
'They then set fire to the post and employee housing by using fuel found there,' Bayu said on Tuesday afternoon.
Lampung chief spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Sulistyaningsih said no casualties had been reported.
'They damaged virtually all the facilities, including 15 containers, worker's housing, a motorcycle, a truck, televisions and air conditioners. We haven't yet calculated the financial losses,' she said.
She said the police and members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) remained on guard outside company's facilities and that the Lampung Police would take stern actions against the perpetrators.
