Jakarta – Residents of Wadas Village in Central Java from the Wadas Village Nature Concern Social Movement (Gempadewa) held a silent auction around their village on Thursday July 14.
One of the residents, SW, said that the action was held as form of resistance against all activities related to planned andesite rock mining in the area where they live.
"Including inventory activities carried out at Wades on July 12-15, 2022", said SW in a press release on Friday July 15.
SW said that Wadas residents held the silent action by covering their mouths with masking tape and wearing besek woven cane hats. In addition to this, they also brought protest banners and carried durian and rambutan seedlings around the village.
"[We] carried the seedlings as a symbol of consistence in safeguarding the conservation of nature at Wadas Village", they said.
SW also explained that the besek hats that they wore were a symbol of traditional women cane weavers who will become extinct if an andesite rock mine is established in their village.
The covering of their mouths with masking tape meanwhile was a symbol of residents who are exhausted with talking to the government because their voices are never heard.
The residents also stuck money to their mouths as a symbol that the destruction of nature at Wadas village cannot be compensated for even by billions of rupiah.
"Wadas Village residents continue to resist and continue to reject the planned quarry mine in Wadas village", said SW.
On Tuesday July 12, the State Land Agency (BPM) again started measuring land for a planned andesite rock mine in Wadas Village. Later, the rocks from the mine will be used as construction material for the nearby Bener Dam strategic national project (PSN).
On several occasions Wadas villagers have conveyed their opposition to the government's plan. This opposition has often ended in violence being committed against residents by police. (yla/tsa)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Pengukuran Tanah di Wadas Tetap Jalan, Warga Gelar Aksi Bisu".]
