As reported on its website, the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority (BP Batam) held a coordination meeting with the Wira Pratama 033 Sub-Regional Military Command (Korem) on Monday January 13. It is known that the coordination meeting discussed synergy in order to accelerate the Rempang Eco-City project.
The coordination meeting was also attended by the Bukit Barisan 1 Regional Military Command (Kodam) planning assistant, the Bukit Barisan Kodam chief of engineers, the Batam 0316 Military District Command (Kodim) and representatives of the company PT Makmur Elok Graha (PT MEG).
The Coalition views the involvement of the TNI (Indonesian Military) in business investment projects such as Rempang Eco-City as inappropriate. This is not only contrary to the identity of a professional army, which mandates that soldiers not conduct business activities and hold human rights in the highest esteem as stated under Article 2 letter d of the TNI Law, but it also has the potential for human rights violations in the future.
In addition to this, the involvement of the TNI in the Rempang Eco City project also contradicts the role and function of the TNI as a state institution in the defence field to deter all forms of military and armed threats from outside and within the country against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and safety of the nation as regulated in under Article 5 and Article 6 paragraph (1) letter a of the TNI Law.
Furthermore, this involvement also violates the main duties of the TNI as stipulated under Article 7 of the TNI Law because the TNI's involvement in the Rempang Eco City project cannot be categorised as a military operation other than war (OMSP), which requires a policy and a state political decision or a government political policy agreed to together with the House of Representative (DPR) as a prerequisite.
Aside from this, the involvement of the TNI under the pretext of assistance, as per Article 7 Paragraph (2) of the TNI Law, is completely baseless. Because such assistance should only be used when the problems faced exceed the capacity (are beyond the capacity) of the relevant civil authorities. Meanwhile, in this context, there does not appear to be any situation that has the potential to trigger the inability of the civil authorities to handle it, including the aspect of a threat. Because in principle assistance duties by the TNI should only be after consideration of the conditions and capacity of the civil authorities.
Although the TNI has been given the duty of assisting the regional government in an OMSP, this aspect has the potential to be a forced pretext, considering the unclear limits of the TNI's future involvement. This situation is an implication of the absence of regulations governing the TNI's assistance duties which should be an antidote to the problematic expansion of the military's role in the civilian realm in the context of OMSP.
We need to remind you that the TNI was not formed to be involved in business and investment projects. The TNI was formed, educated, organised, financed and armed solely to kill and destroy the enemy in war. The involvement of the TNI in business projects like this will only put the TNI in a position of confronting the ordinary people which will ultimately lead to violence and human rights violations.
In the midst of the many problems of violence committed by TNI soldiers and criticism from various groups and the public, such as the recent fatal shooting of a car rental business owner in Tangerang by Navy personnel and the attack by Army soldiers on residents in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, it is appropriate for the TNI to conduct an evaluation and avoid the potential for a repeat of new incidents violence, including its involvement in the Rempang Eco City project.
The Coalition also suspects that there are economic and political motives on the part of a handful of people or those often referred to as interventionist officers to drag the TNI into the Rempang Eco City project, therefore we consider that the alleged economic and political motives that provide space for the TNI's involvement in National Strategic Projects (PSN), including and not limited to the Rempang Eco City project, must be investigated further by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, the DPR and the TNI commander, because its implementation not only impacts upon the TNI's professionalism, but the TNI will be directly confronted by the people who live in the areas where the projects is being implemented, both local and indigenous communities.
In general, the TNI has been involved in the implementation of other government projects over the last 10 years, such as food estate projects in several regions and providing security for PT Freeport Indonesia in Papua, PT Dairi Prima Mineral in North Sumatra, PT Inexco Jaya Makmur in West Sumatra (2018) and PT Duta Palma in West Kalimantan (2024). This has Included involvement in the seizure of customary land by the state-owned planation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara II (PTPN II) in North Sumatra (2020), the Bener Dam PSN near Wadas in Central Java (2021), the CNI Group Nickel Smelter PSN in Southeast Sulawesi (2022) and the Lau Simeme Dam PSN in North Sumatra (2024). In practice, the involvement of the TNI has caused fear among local communities and indigenous peoples and has often led to violence.
Based on the breakdown above, the Coalition is calling for:
1. The President of the Republic of Indonesia to order the TNI commander to ensure that there is no involvement of the Bukit Barisan 1 Kodam and the implementing units under it, especially the Wira Pratama 033 Korem and the Batam 0316 Kodim, in the Rempang Eco City project;
2. The DPR's Commission I as part of civil control over the military must evaluate all TNI actions that are contrary to its role, duties and functions, especially those related to the TNI's Involvement in PSNs;
3. The TNI commander to order the Army's Inspectorate General to conduct an audit, review, evaluation, monitoring and other supervisory activities related to the involvement of the Bukit Barisan 1 Kodam and the implementing units under it, especially the Wira Pratama 033 Korem and the Batam 0316 Kodim, in the Rempang Eco City project, which is contrary to the role, duties and functions of the TNI;
4. The President and the DPR must ensure that there is no TNI involvement in government projects, and order all coordinating and other ministries and/or state institutions not to engage and/or provide space for the TNI's involvement in the implementation of government projects;
Jakarta
January 15, 2025
Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform
Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) National, Amnesty International Indonesia, Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), Human Right Working Group (HRWG), Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, the Centra Initiative, Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers), Community Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Masyarakat), Malang Post Surabaya LBH, Democratic Alliance for Papua (ALDP), Public Virtue, Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR), Jakarta Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Nusantara Traditional Community Defence Association (PPMAN).
Contact persons
- Hussein Ahmad – Imparsial
- Muhammad Isnur – YLBHI
- Gina Sabrina – PBHI Nasional
- Dimas Bagus Arya – Kontras
- Ikhsan Yosarie – The Setara Institute
- Teo Reffelsen – Walhi Nasional
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the statement was "Pelibatan TNI dalam Proyek Rempang Eco City yang Menggusur dan Menyakiti Rakyat Melanggar Konstitusi, HAM, dan UU TNI".]
