"China-funded eco-city threatens Indonesian islanders' way of life", 17 November 2023

...The government plans to relocate 7,500 residents for the project, called Rempang Eco-City...But for Ramli and many other indigenous Malay people on the island, it is a threat to their livelihood, culture and identity...

The simmering land dispute over Rempang Eco-City exploded into the open in September, when residents protesting relocation clashed with police and damaged public facilities in Batam... Some 43 people were arrested for alleged violence during the demonstrations, including Ramli’s 23-year-old son Rafi.

The suspects' lawyers filed a pretrial lawsuit against the police following the clash, challenging the legality of their arrest and detention. 

However, the Batam District Court rejected the legal challenge on Nov. 6, ruling that the police had followed the proper procedure and had sufficient grounds to detain the suspects. Police said the protesters had blocked the road and thrown stones at the security forces during the demonstration...

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Dedi Arman, a senior researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency, said that Jakarta should respect the ancestral claims of the indigenous communities on the island...

Boy Jerry Evan Sembiring, the deputy director of the environmental group Walhi in neighboring Riau province, said that mining for silica sand and quartz sand – raw materials used to make glass – would have a devastating impact on the marine ecosystems and fishing industry...