"As Indonesia Courts Chinese Infrastructure Investments, Locals Are Pushing Back", 13 September 2023

On Monday, around 1,000 people gathered outside the BP Batam building, a government agency that manages construction and development in the region, to protest the eviction of residents for construction of Rempang Eco-City. The industrial park, which in July secured a $11.5 billion commitment from Chinese glass producer Xinyi Group for a quartz sand processing plant, has faced heated opposition from local residents—an estimated 7,500 are set to be displaced for the park’s construction.

As demonstrators threw bottles and rocks in front of the government building, police responded with water cannons and tear gas. Forty-three protesters were arrested, police said on Tuesday. As demonstrators threw bottles and rocks in front of the government building, police responded with water cannons and tear gas. Forty-three protesters were arrested, police said on Tuesday...

The confrontations highlight the mounting tensions between authorities and local communities across Indonesia over a range of infrastructural projects—many of which are funded by Chinese companies—that threaten to displace indigenous communities...

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Still, despite criticisms of the environmental and social risks that these projects bring to local communities, authorities are keenly aware of the cascading economic benefits that Indonesia could reap from such investments...

Meanwhile, the recent arrests have sent fresh fears rippling through the local community, as police continue to hunt down suspects in the Rempang riots.

In a statement to TIME, BP Batam said that “it is common when there is a development in the region where local community involved, there will be resistance. However, we will work with all related institutions to proceed with the development with optimal personal and institutional approach.”