Indonesia police arrest 43 after riot over industrial park

Xinyi Glass Holdings

12/09/2023 13:37

JAKARTA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Indonesian police have
arrested 43 people accused of causing a riot and attacking
police during a protest over a plan to relocate communities for
a multi-billion dollar industrial park, police said on Tuesday. 
    Violent scenes erupted on Monday on Rempang island, located
about 44 km (27 miles) from Singapore, where about 1,000
demonstrators had gathered in front of the office of BP Batam,
one of the developers of the planned Rempang Eco City. 
    Video footage on local media showed demonstrators hurling
bottles and rocks at police and breaking down a fence, with
officers responding with water canon and tear gas. 
    Rempang Eco City will be home to a factory operated by
Chinese glass producer, Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd, which has
committed to build an $11.5 billion quartz sand processing plant
at the park. 
    "We arrested them because of vandalism and opposing police,"
said Pandra Arsyad, spokesperson of Riau Island police, adding
the protesters were dispersed by late afternoon. 
    Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday said the
government planned to provide land and a house to each of the
residents as compensation for relocating. 
    "But this was not well communicated to the people. So, it
became a problem," he said, referring to the protest. 
    Residents were reluctant to move having lived on the land
for many years, said Ariastuty Sirait, a spokesperson for BP
Batam, adding they would receive cash assistance until new
settlements were completed and about 700 families would be
relocated in the first stage. 

 (Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by Martin Petty)
 ((Ananda.Teresia@thomsonreuters.com;))