TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It has been exactly two years on September 7 since the clash between thousands of authorities and Rempang residents on Jembatan 4 Barelang, Batam City, Riau Islands Province. At that time, combined forces of the Indonesian military, police, public order agency (Satpol PP), and the Supervisory Committee of Batam Authority (BP Batam) forcibly entered Rempang Island to measure the land, a move the native residents vehemently rejected.
At least seven residents were arrested, and dozens of schoolchildren suffered from tear gas and were taken to health centers. Some others suffered injuries as a result of the incident.
The clash escalated the land-grabbing issue in Rempang Island into one of national concern and even drew attention from international media. Since then, the residents of Rempang have continued to resist the seizure of their living space for the development of the National Strategic Project (PSN). How has the case developed in two years?
Rempang Residents Have Settled on the Island Since Before Indonesia's Independence
The residents of Rempang have inhabited the island since 1883. In several Dutch records, the area was originally inhabited by indigenous peoples or forest dwellers. After that, cultural acculturation occurred; the Malays, Flores, and even the Chinese lived on the 17-thousand-hectare area.
About 7,000 residents of the island were threatened with eviction when the state planned to develop the Rempang Eco City project, but the people refused to leave what they referred to as "ancestral land."
Rempang Eco City National Strategic Project
The plan to develop Rempang Island had actually existed since 2004 under PT Makmur Elok Graha (MEG), a subsidiary of the Artha Graha Group owned by business magnate Tomy Winata. However, the project was stalled at that time.
In 2023, PT MEG revived the plan. This time, it was not about building exclusive tourism, but rather the construction of solar panel factories and residential areas. The targeted investment value was set at Rp381 trillion until 2080. Although it was scheduled to commence in 2024, the development was once again stalled as residents were unwilling to be relocated.
Various Efforts to Make Residents Leave
The government made various efforts to persuade the residents to leave be the development, from offering new residences at Dapur 3 Galang Island, moving them to Tanjung Banun to the latest proposal of a local transmigration scheme.
But Rempang residents stood firm against the offers. Data from BP Batam recorded that more than 150 households had relocated out of a total of 900 affected households.
Finally, the government, through the Minister of Transmigration, asserted that the development in the Sembulang area was postponed. Sembulang was indeed the location with the majority of residents who rejected eviction. The village area also became the first stage location of the development of Rempang Eco City PSN.
Intimidation, Terror, Violence, and Criminalization
During the two years of struggle against forced displacement, Rempang residents faced a series of intimidation, terror, violence, and criminalization. From 2023 to 2025, Tempo's records show that there were at least two attacks targeting the residents.
Dozens of people were injured, one of them with a broken arm as a result of the violence. Additionally, three residents have been designated as suspects for defending their village and living space.
Rempang Island Game Reserve
Although the development in Sembulang Village was postponed, new conflicts arose in other villages, such as in Sungai Raya. The residents had a dispute with officials and the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) from the Ministry of Forestry. The residents rejected the designation of their village area as a Game Reserve, as they have been living in the area way before the decree was adopted.
PT MEG's subsidiary's efforts in reforesting the game reserve had the residents worried. In Tempo's latest report, the residents of Sungai Raya have also started to resist by campaigning against the game reserve.
What Do the Rempang Residents Want?
The residents of Rempang Island emphasized that they do not oppose investment and development, but they must not disrupt the local wisdom and the community's living space.
In each rally, the residents of Rempang demand recognition of their ancestral village. Miswadi, a native resident of Rempang Island, said that all they want is the legality of their village so that the residents can live peacefully on their land.
"To date, what the residents of Rempang want is for the state to acknowledge their ancestral land. We demand the legality of our village," said Miswadi.
Residents continue to hold activities to resist the eviction, including a traditional market commemorating the tragedy on Jembatan 4.
Meanwhile, the Head of the General Affairs Bureau of BP Batam, Mohammad Taopan, expressed his concern about the September 7 tragedy on Rempang Island and hoped that similar incidents would not recur. But he stopped short of commenting on the residents' demand for recognition of the ancestral village's legality.
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