TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN) reported that hundreds of workers and security personnel from PT Toba Pulp Lestari Tbk (TPL) raided indigenous farmers in Nagori Sihaporas, Pematang Sidamanik, Simalungun, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on Monday morning, September 22, 2025, at around 08:40 AM local time.
The Secretary of AMAN’s North Batak Region, Tano Batak Jhontoni, said the raid took place about two to three kilometers from Lake Toba, in the areas named Dolok Mauli, Ujung Mauli, and Sipolha.
According to him, TPL personnel wore all-black uniforms and carried machetes, electric shock devices, wooden sticks, mirrored helmets, rattan shields, and combat boots.
Jhontoni explained that the company’s workers, traveling in a convoy of seven trucks and three private cars, stormed the post of the Ompu Mamontang Laut Ambarita Customary Institution (Lamtoras) and assaulted residents guarding the site.
He said the victims included women, one of whom was identified as DL and was seen bleeding from facial injuries in photos and videos shared by Lamtoras officials.
“Women on guard were beaten, and men were also attacked,” Jhontoni noted, adding that three men, SA (63), PS (55), and ES (44), were among those injured.
He claimed that TPL personnel remained at the site as of Monday afternoon. Tempo is still seeking confirmation from the company’s management.
Long-Standing Land Dispute
The indigenous Sihaporas community has occupied and cultivated the land for eleven generations, tracing their lineage back to Martua Boni Raja, also known as Ompu Mamontang Laut Ambarita, who founded the village in the early 1800s.
Jhontoni stressed that the community were not newcomers, citing historical records that show the area once hosted Indonesian Independence War veterans and plantations established during Dutch colonial rule.
This is not the first violent incident involving TPL. On August 7, 2025, three residents of Natinggir Hamlet, Simare Village, Borbor Subdistrict, Toba Regency, were assaulted during clashes with the company’s security personnel.
According to the Director of the Study and Development Group for Community Initiatives (KSPPM), Rocky Pasaribu, residents of Natinggir have managed their 1,400-hectare ancestral land for 13 generations.
He said they were only defending their territory after TPL employees allegedly entered the hamlet and damaged crops.
Rocky said three residents, including Thamrin Pasaribu, were beaten and stoned, with Thamrin later hospitalized due to a head injury. He also accused TPL personnel of throwing stones at houses, traumatizing local children.
Calls for Accountability
Rocky argued that these repeated confrontations reflect a systemic failure to protect indigenous rights.
“The violence is not isolated. Ut’s a result of structural neglect by the authorities. The Toba Regency administration cannot continue to evade responsibility,” he said.
He added that TPL’s operations, which began more than four decades ago, now control 291,263 hectares of land across North Sumatra. Of this, about 33,422 hectares overlap with ancestral territories belonging to 23 communities in 12 regencies.
The family of Thamrin Pasaribu has filed a police report and urged the Toba Police to prosecute the perpetrators.
“We call on the police chief to immediately arrest those responsible for the assault,” Rocky said.
TPL, formerly controlled by tycoon Sukanto Tanoto, is now majority-owned by Hong Kong-based Allied Hill Limited.
Sahat Simatupang contributed to the writing of this article.
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