Around 14 environmental activists from the Land for the People Coalition (Titura) have been released, after being "taken" to the Penajam Paser Utara Police office, East Kalimantan, Saturday (17/08).

"There was nothing in the BAP (Examination Report) that they were taken to the Penajam Paser Utara Police. Then at 7pm they were immediately taken home. So they are no longer detained, and they have returned to Jakarta," said environmental activist from Greenpeace Indonesia, Arie Rompas to BBC News Indonesia, Sunday (18/08).

Arie said that most of those taken to the PPU Police were environmental activists who put up large banners on the Balang Island Bridge.

Previously, it was reported that dozens of activists from civil society organizations were taken to the police station after they celebrated the 79th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia in the Lango Beach area - around 40 kilometers from the center of the Indonesian Capital City (IKN).

In a video received and viewed by BBC News Indonesia, there was a debate between police officers and environmental activists. The police banned the activity with arguments related to permits, including safety.

Meanwhile, environmental activists said they were holding the event as a form of "celebration of August 17" and that the safety risks were "ours to bear".

"We said that this is part of the August 17 celebration and we are together with the community... so there is no reason (to arrest), when there was no criminal act, violation of the law, because indeed during the action, our friends were professional and did not damage any property," added Arie.

The day before, Head of Public Relations of the East Kalimantan Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Yuliyanto, denied any arrests. "No arrests were made, our officers are discussing with them," he said as quoted by Tempo.

This coalition consists of the Residents of the IKN Project Victims, the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) East Kalimantan, Jatam East Kalimantan, Working Group 30, the Indonesian People's Faction (FRI) East Kalimantan, the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) East Kalimantan, the Balikpapan Coastal Working Group, PBH Peradi, Greenpeace Indonesia, Trend Asia, the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the National Executive (Eknas) of Walhi, and PBHI.

They unfurled a giant red cloth measuring 50×15 meters with white writing that read “Indonesia is not for sale, Merdeka!” on the Balang Island Bridge.

A number of other banners were also unfurled from wooden boats that were carrying out the independence parade in the waters under the bridge.

Some of them read “Save Balikpapan Bay”, “Land for the People”, “Evicted by PSN, Not 100% Independent”, “Not Yet Free to Speak”, “79 Years of Independence, 190 Years of Colonization”, and others.

Arie said, the message of this celebration is clear, "because we see that the development of the IKN is very reckless without any process without fulfilling environmental and social prerequisites."

"On the contrary, the government is giving out large sums of money and most of it is for the interests of a handful of people, including issuing a 190-year HGU policy for investors. This is contrary to independence, especially regarding social justice for the Indonesian people," said Arie.

Meanwhile, on various occasions, the IKN Authority said that the government was preparing empowerment programs for local communities, such as "advancing local education".

"Measuring the success of the Authority, the success of the development of the IKN should not be now, but 2045," said the Secretary of the IKN Authority, Achmad Jaka Santos Adwijaya, last March .

Meanwhile, the Head of the task force for accelerating the development of the Indonesian Capital City, Danis Sumadilaga, said that the investment push to the IKN was for the sake of the future.

"We hope that it will encourage as many investors as possible to invest in the IKN, because investment in the IKN is an investment for the future, not now," he said .