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View all search resultsHost communities resist resettlement of Tesso Nilo National Park settlers
Zulhendri said local opposition is rooted in the disputed status of the land designated for resettlement. Although PTPN holds official land-use rights (HGU), villagers claim the land is customary territory passed down from their ancestors.
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Protesters stage a demonstration in front of the Riau High Prosectuor's Office in Pekanbaru, Riau, on Nov. 20, 2025, rejecting the relocation of local communities residing within the Tesso Nilo National Park in the province to other areas. The protesters also urged the government to allow the comanagement of cultivation land within the national park between local communities and state-owned firm PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara. (JP/Rizal Harahap)
T
he government’s ongoing efforts to relocate residents from Tesso Nilo National Park in Riau have sparked renewed tensions, as communities near the proposed resettlement sites reject the plan.
Hundreds of residents from Pesikaian village in Cirenti district, Kuantan Singingi regency, staged a protest in front of the village head’s office over the weekend, voicing opposition to the planned relocation.
Zulhendri, a member of the Riau Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) who met with the protesters, said the central government had decided to move residents from within Tesso Nilo National Park to Pesikaian village without prior consultation with local communities.
“The lack of community involvement in the decision-making process could potentially lead to social conflict in the future,” Zulhendri said on Sunday.
He explained that approximately 634 hectares of land currently managed by state-owned plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) in the Pesikaian village would be allocated to around 500 families relocated from the national park.
Zulhendri said local opposition is rooted in the disputed status of the land designated for resettlement. Although PTPN holds official land-use rights (HGU), villagers claim the land is customary territory passed down from their ancestors.
Read also: Task force starts to relocate settlers from Tesso Nilo National Park
