Four residents of Legok Jabon, Cirendang Village, Palabuhanratu District, Sukabumi Regency were reported to the police by PT Yanita Indonesia, regarding the act of threatening the delegation from PT Yanita Indonesia to resolve the issue of land cultivated as intercropping by the community and land grabbing company property.

The results of information collected by the team in the field stated that the four people were suspected of threatening one person while 3 others were accused of land grabbing.

Harna, one of the residents of Legok Jabon village who was reported by the agricultural company, felt criminalised as he and three other residents who were reported felt they were innocent.

"Yes, it is true that there has been summons from the police to me and the three other residents, I am accused of threatening PT Yanita's employees," said Harna.

Harna told the media crew on Friday 30/06/2023 at his residence, the incident began with information from one of the residents that there was a group of company employees who came to the location of residents' cultivated land with tools and herbicides to poison the residents' plants.

"This made the cultivators in block 9 angry including me and finally we met with a group of officers from the company on the way after they left the location, the company denied that they would poison the plants and strip the cultivated land, the company argued that they only wanted to list the cultivators," said Harna.

"The statement from the officer was what ignited my emotions, the masses wanted to record the cultivators and instead came to the location of the cultivated land and brought a blower as if they wanted the fields to be poisoned, if indeed they wanted to record why didn't they come to the village or the homes of each cultivator or coordinate with the village and invite the cultivators, that's where I got angry so I said things like what was alleged," said Harna.

"I myself and other cultivators are willing to hand over our cultivated land to the company if it wants to be used by the company and we are not allowed to work on it anymore, we will not hinder or defend the land, because it does not belong to us but to the company," concluded Harna.

Harna also explained that he worked for a long time at the PT Yanita company as a casual labourer so he and his family were allowed to work the land in block 9 which was not used by the company and he and other residents have been working on the land for decades for daily subsistence.

The Cirendang village head confirmed the incident and regretted that PT Yanita had exaggerated the problem without coordinating with the local community.

"I regret that PT Yanita should be able to solve this problem at the village level, through deliberation, we have Babinkamtibmas and Babinsa officers, they should not immediately report our residents to the police," said Abdul Ajid, Cirendang Village Head to reporters, Friday (30/06/2023).

"Regarding the occupation, it is actually not an occupation, the community is only intercropping, and it's been going on for decades. The community also realises that if the land is needed or wants to be used by the company, the community is ready to return it, since the commitment has always been like that," explained Abdul Ajid.

"Harna's words were not threats. Harna told PT Yanita employees that if the land was poisoned or destroyed, the community would put up a defence, only if the land was poisoned. The community would tolerate if cultivation had to be stopped, then they would stop," continued the village head.

"The cultivators will stop but wait until the harvest is complete, the community's request is just that simple, not violent nor forceful," said the Village Head.

The village head explained, "Please do so if the land really wants to be used by PT Yanita. It has been abandoned by PT Yanita for decades, I myself witnessed it before becoming the village head because it was near the border with my village and I knew exactly that the land was abandoned."

"Until now, PT Yanita has never provided social and public facilities for the village, besides that PT Yanita also uses community facilities such as village roads when entering its plantation area," said the Village Head.

As the village head, he will continue to assist his citizens regarding this issue. "Yes, I will continue to assist residents until this problem is resolved and resolved so that it is clear and clear," he said.

The team tried to confirm with the agricultural company PT Yanita Indonesia, but no one was available, until this news was released there was no official confirmation from the company.