Fight for land, fight for life

ILPS commission 6 condemns the brutal dispersal of farmers by the police in South Sulawesi. The police open fired on the rallyists participating in the March 29 Global Action on Day Of The Landless resulting in 14 injured activists and the arrest of 64 others.

Aliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA) together with the Front Perjuangan Rakyat/the People’s Struggle Front (FPR) of Central Sulawesi and ILPS Indonesia led the main protest and mobilized coordinated rallies nationwide in observance of the Global Action on Day of the Landless on March 29. Indonesia has been one of the largest hotbeds of imperialist landgrabbing in recent history. Oil Palm plantations for export in Indonesia, for example, have invaded at least 8 million hectares of land. This has displaced millions of farmers and turned them into low-paid farm workers.

ILPS Commission 6, APC and AGRA calls on those concerned to:

1. Immediately release the 64 people who were arrested and are in detention.
2. Immediately and thoroughly investigate the brutal action and hold those responsible accountable so that justice maybe served.
3. For the Jokowi-JK government to put a stop to acts of human rights violations such as intimidation, terrorism and criminalization of the masses in agrarian conflicts, and the killings of those who fight for their land and life.
4. For the government to repeall all laws and resolutions which effect landgrabbing such as those on oil palm plantations, national parks and others.

ILPS Commission 6 calls on the peasantry and the peoples in various countries to strengthen our unity and advance the struggle against the plunder of land and resources by monopoly capitalists and strive for genuine agrarian reform.

March 29 is a historic event in the people’s struggle for land and resources in Asia when the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) was founded on the said date 13 years ago to challenge imperialist and feudal oppression and exploitation.  Coordinated actions were organized by 23 organizations from Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and its network in 8 countries such as in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Palestine on March 29.

Stop Oil Palm Plantations!
Fight imperialist global land grabbing!
Resist Land use conversion and plunder!