GOVERNMENT NEVER PAYS MARIND LANDOWENERS FOR THEIR LAND

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GOVERNMENT NEVER PAYS MARIND LANDOWENERS FOR THEIR LAND

tabloidjubi.com Apr 21st, 2014 0 Comment

                                                                            Marind peoples and their land (Jubi)

Merauke, 20/4 ( Jubi ) – A representative of the Merauke Customary Institution, Ignatious Ndiken said the central government has never compensated the Marind people whose land has been appropriated for the transmigration program.

Now 67 locations belonging to Marind people are occupied the trans-migrant families, Ndiken said. He said up to now the Marind peoples have been very patient and let the migrants occupy their lands for development purposes.
“However, it should be noticed that their patience has limits too,” he said.

So far, he further said, he had been able to control the situation so that a conflict could be prevented. But he urged the central and local governments to pay attention to the indigenous people after their lands has been taken.

He also  said Special Autonomy funds were worth billions of rupiahs but never reached people in villages. “We never know where the money is. So it’s not surprising if the indigenous peoples’ living has not improved,” he said.

A land tenure owner, Paulus Samkakai said he would never stopped to fight for what is supposed to be his people’s right. “I took dozens of people from Kaiburse Village to meet with regional legislators. However, until now there has been no further action,” he said.

But he won’t stop there. He has taken the matter to higher levels, such as meeting with the representative of Papua National Commission of Human Rights in Jayapura to talk about some related unsolved issues of Marind tenure rights. (Jubi/Frans L Kobun/rom)