Letter from PT IIU on Sugapa women
This letter was received by a woman who responded to an letter-
writing campaign appeal issued earlier this year by the London-
based Women's Environmental Network, in support of the ten women
prosecuted for uprooting eucalyptus seedlings planted on their
land by PT IIU.
If you need a hard copy (with IIU logo etc) please contact us at
111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, CR7 8HW
(the text has not been corrected)
PT Inti Indorayon Utama
Head Office
BNI Building 20th fl
Jl Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
Jakarta 10220, Indonesia
Jakarta, 03 October, 1990
Dear Madam,
Firstly, I would like to inform you that we received your letter
dated April 21st, 1990 just one week ago. There was no
explanation for the delay. The ten women from Sugapa village has
been convicted by a local court and later the verdict was
confirmed by the court of appeals. The defence counsel did not go
to the Supreme Court for reasons unknown.
Actually, the ten women did not go to jail for humanitarian
considerations suggested by the local government with the
understanding, that the ten women promised not to repeat the
their illegal actions. Since you are not familiar with the law of
the land here in this particular district, it is most difficult
to explain to you in detail what happened. In short, the land has
been leased from the competent local population and paid for in
cash with the approval of the local and district authorities
(Customary law) to the owners.
Our company started to plant eucalyptus trees in the newly
acquired land. After one month or so the ten women went on the
rampage and damaged the newly planted trees claiming that they
have given no permission to any body to grow trees on their land.
However, no man participate in this effort and according to our
local customs, only men are legally entitled to land, not women.
Ipso facto, legally the women cannot claim that their property
has been taken by Indorayon; Indorayon has paid the money to the
owners (men) in which they may have kept the money for themselves
only and not shared with the wives.
To prevent more headaches to the company after the verdict was
pronounced, we have decided to release the land unilaterally
(without compensation) back to the owners, witnessed by
government authorities. As far as Indorayon is concerned the case
is closed and the company is one experience richer.
Indorayon did not create any ecological imbalance. For every tree
cut for the mill we plant 16 young trees. Our nursery has an
annual output of 16 million seeds.
As far as pollution is concerned, the government has introduced
pollution standards in Indonesia practiced by countries like the
USA, Sweden, Finland and Japan.
You may be rest assured that no harm will come to the ten women
and the possible environmental problems in our country.
Yours faithfully,
PT Inti Indorayon Utama
Public Relations
August Marpaung