Indonesia’s Jokowi blames ‘bad communication’ for eviction riots over Chinese-funded project

The government plans to turn the tiny islet in Riau Islands province near Singapore into an industrial and tourism hub under the Rempang Eco City project.

But efforts to get the ball rolling for the factory have faced stiff resistance from more than 7,000 residents who have lived in the locality for decades and are lukewarm about a government compensation scheme.

The dispute over the project spiralled into violence last week, when thousands of protesters blocked roads and erected makeshift barricades to prevent officials from conducting land measurement for the project.

Authorities said the locals hurled stones and petrol bombs at security personnel, prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd. Several students were also injured after some of the tear gas canisters landed at a school near the protest site.

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission demanded the erring officers be held accountable for violence against children.

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The stand-off continued until Monday, and police on Tuesday arrested 43 people over the unrest that Widodo said could have been avoided if information about the relocation package was conveyed clearly to the residents, The Jakarta Post reported.

“It was a case of bad communication,” he said. “There was actually an agreement that the residents would be given 500 square metres (5,400 sq ft) of land and a house, but this was not communicated well, so there was a problem.”

The president also directed Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia to hold talks with the aggrieved parties, while a local official insisted the initiative will go ahead, adding some residents have started signing up for compensation.

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But not everyone is ready.

“We want to continue [living] here, because this island is part of our identity, where our cultural roots lie. We are not at all opposing the investment plan, we just want to [live] side by side with it,” Rempang resident Bobby said.

The country’s national commission on human rights called on the government to end its strong-arm tactics and release the detained residents.

Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad urged the community to back the project, which is expected to generate 35,000 jobs.

Government data showed the Southeast Asian nation’s exports to China stood at US$65.9 billion last year.

Xinyi, one of the world’s largest glass panel makers, invested US$700 million in 2022 to construct a factory in East Java.