Mandalika SEZ Project Accused of Causing Evictions and Agrarian Conflict

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The People's Front Rejects PSN (Front Rakyat Tolak PSN) has called on President Prabowo Subianto to re-evaluate the Special Economic Zone project known as KEK Mandalika.

Dewi Kartika, a member of the alliance and Secretary General of the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), stated that the project has triggered agrarian conflicts and led to the displacement of local communities.

"Many people have lost their land, fishermen have lost their access to the sea, and local traders have lost their livelihoods," she said in an official statement on Saturday, June 28, 2025.

According to Dewi, since the groundbreaking of KEK Mandalika in 2011 and the start of land acquisition in 2019, the project has allegedly caused numerous losses. Communities have been dispossessed of their land, and fishermen have seen their sources of income vanish.

Most recently, on June 15, 2025, residents of Tanjung Aan, West Nusa Tenggara, received a letter from a company named Vanguard. The company claimed to represent an investor working with the Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), a state-owned enterprise in the tourism sector.

The letter informed residents of a 14-day grace period from the date of issuance for land clearance. "The deadline is until June 28, 2025," she said.

A total of 186 stalls, cafes, and restaurants owned by residents and local business owners along the Tanjung Aan coast are expected to be affected. Dewi warned that more than 1,000 people who rely on the area for their livelihoods would be displaced.

"If the coastal area of Tanjung Aan is cleared, it will eliminate the source of income for thousands of residents who have relied on their livelihoods at Tanjung Aan Beach," she said.

Earlier in March 2025, the Central Lombok Land Office issued and handed over at least 12 utilization rights certificates (HPL) to ITDC as part of the ongoing land acquisition process. Dewi criticized the process, saying it lacked genuine consultation, transparency, and participation from ITDC, the local government, and land offices.

"Especially the consent of residents for the project execution, from the development plan, land procurement, compensation, to the recent eviction efforts in Tanjung Aan through Vanguard," she said.

According to the coalition, these evictions represent a broader pattern in the implementation of SEZ projects labeled under the National Strategic Projects. Such projects, they said, often involve manipulation, forced evictions, land grabbing, intimidation, and acts of terror against affected communities.

KPA recorded that between 2020 and 2024, land procurement for PSN development led to at least 154 agrarian conflict cases, covering a total of 1,004,803 hectares and impacting 103,685 households across Indonesia.

The coalition also denounced PT ITDC for pressuring residents in Tanjung Aan and called on the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN RI) to evaluate the issuance of all HPL certificates granted to ITDC.

"And revoke HPLs that have violated by including residential areas, villages, local livelihoods, and community business land into ITDC's authority," she said.

The coalition further urged relevant ministries, agencies, and PT ITDC to ensure meaningful participation by fully involving the affected communities, emphasizing the importance of upholding residents’ constitutional rights and land tenure.

The coalition consists of 23 community organizations, including KPA, AMAN, WALHI, and KASBI.

Tempo has attempted to contact State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and State-Owned Enterprises Ministry spokesperson Putri Violla. However, no responses have been received.

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