Villagers blockade ExxonMobil?s pipeline project in E. Java

Villagers on Tuesday blockaded the construction work of a crude pipeline owned by ExxonMobil and PT Pertamina in Palang District, Tuban Regency, East Java, Koran Tempo daily reported Wednesday.

The paper reported that the villagers forced the workers of heavy equipment installing giant pipes in the area to step down, prompting the local police to suspend the work. The paper said that the blockade was believed to have been triggered by some villagers who claimed they have not yet received compensation for their land used in the project.

Erwin Maryoto, Vice President of Public and Government Affairs at ExxonMobil Indonesia insisted that Mobil Cepu Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, has completed the land acquisition process and paid the necessary compensation. ?We have completed the land acquisition in line with the law,? he said.

The paper said that the 73 km crude pipeline linking the Banyuurip well in Bojonegoro and the Karangagung coast in Tuban passed through a 600 sqm plot of land belonging to the family of the late Mbah Mangil. A local official said that while some members of the Mbah Mangil family had received the compensation, others who also claim right over the land demanded for the same compensation. The official said there was a problem of double land certificates over the plot of land. (*)