Mudflow Victims Urge Govt to Complete Payment

Jakarta, Suara Indonesia News - Victims of the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster urged the government to
speed up compensation payments to them, following a new
agreement between them and government representatives last week.

Tuesday, the victims' lawyer, Paring Waluyo Utomo, said they
were demanding concrete actions to realize the agreement,
despite government assurances that the disbursement would be
expedited.

Some 25 representatives from 10 villages in Sidoarjo, East Java,
came to Jakarta on Friday to seek certainty about the
compensation, which has yet to be completed two years after the
disaster struck.

The representatives are staying at the National Commission of
Human Rights (Komnas HAM) headquarters in Menteng, Central
Jakarta.

On Friday, they met with Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto
and representatives from the Social Services Ministry, National
Land Agency, PT Lapindo Brantas and PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya, in
which the parties drew up a new agreement.

One of the main points in the agreement obliges Lapindo to
immediately complete the payment of 20 percent of the required
compensation to the victims, whose lands were engulfed by the
mudflow.

It also stipulated the remaining 80 percent should be paid
before the end of a two-year house leasing arrangement.

"The victims are not satisfied with the promises in the
agreement. They want it to be truly realized. Many victims have
not received the 20 percent installment, let alone the 80
percent," Paring said after a press conference at Komnas HAM
headquarters.

"We are seeking more support to force the government and Lapindo
to finalize this, including from Komnas HAM and the House of
Representatives."

He said the victims no longer wanted to deal with PT Lapindo
Brantas and PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya and would leave the
government to deal with them.

"We can't force Lapindo (to pay), so we will leave it to the
government, which has the power," he said.

He said the victims would monitor the implementation of the
agreement at the site.

"We will sue if they fail to comply with it," Paring said.

The agreement also stipulates the government will provide a
clean water facility and build drainage for villagers whose
lands were not included in the map of affected zones.

Paring said the villagers also demanded the government
immediately issue a revised 2007 presidential instruction that
includes all victims in the map, thus entitling them to
compensation.

Mahmuda, a victim from Renokenongo village, said the
representatives would stay in Jakarta until they had secured the
government's promise to undertake its responsibility toward them.

She also said they wished to meet with President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono to demand their rights be upheld.

"We don't know how long we will stay here, but we really expect
to meet the President. He is our only hope because he is the one
who issued the policy," she said.

"We want to know how much attention he pays in ensuring our
rights are upheld."