Caltex, Sakai people ready to court to settle land dispute

PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia and a group of Sakai people, the ingenious ethnic group in Riau province, said they were both ready to go to court if their negotiations over land dispute failed to produce any good results, Riau Post reported on Wednesday.

Caltex spokesman Iwan Tofani said that the oil giant would prefer to take the case to the local court if the Sakai people continued with their demand to get a full compensation over the land now used as part of the company's oil operations.

Caltex, which acquired the land from the local people several years ago with a fair compensation, had no obligation to pay more compensation, the spokesman said after a negotiation with representatives of the Sakai people on Wednesday.

Both parties have been engaged in a number of negotiations to settle the land dispute but no progress has been made. The negotiation on Wednesday also failed and it even was event halted after one of Sakai negotiator said he could not continue the talks because of being unwell.

Like Caltex, the Sakai people said they were also ready to take a legal fight against the company. "But for sure, if we take the case to court, all activities at the disputed island should be haled," one of the Sakai representative said.(*)