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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=7YQSqjSh" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.eng.walhi.or.id:80/kampanye/hutan/shk/060926_rimba_li/?&printer_friendly=true","20080210062859","https://web.archive.org/","web","https://web-static.archive.org/_static/", "1202624939"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=p7PEIJWi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>WALHI - Orang Rimba Demand Their Rights</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name="description" content="In Jambi, central Sumatra, there are many communities of the forest tribe that calls itself the Jungle Peopleor Orang Rimba. These communities are scattered throughout the national parks in Jambi. One of the main territories of the Orang Rimba is the Bukit Duabelas National Park which is 60,500 hectares and spans three regencies: Batang Hari (65 percent); Tebo (20 percent); and Sarolangun (15 percent). The Orang Rimba have lived in these forests for as long as they can remember, with each commun"> <meta name="keywords" content="WALHI/Friends of the earth Indonesia, Jambi, Orang Rimba, Bukit Duabelas National Park"> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080210062859cs_/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff"><a name="top"></a> <table border="0" width="640" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#ffffff" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="90%" valign="top" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <table border="0" width="640" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="90%" valign="top" bgcolor="#ffffff"><h1>WALHI-INDONESIAN FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT </h1> <table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <tr> <td width="85%" bgcolor="#eeeeee" align="left"> <p class="navinfo"><a href="/web/20080210062859/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/">Home</a> > <a href="/web/20080210062859/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/">Campaigns</a> > <a href="/web/20080210062859/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/hutan/">Forest</a> > <a href="/web/20080210062859/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/hutan/shk/">Managing the forests with communities</a></p> </td> </tr> </table> <p> <h2><font color"#449900">Orang Rimba Demand Their Rights</font></h2> <p><p>Feri Irawan, WALHI Jambi Executive Director</p><p>In Jambi, central Sumatra, there are many communities of the forest tribe that calls itself the Jungle People  or Orang Rimba. These communities are scattered throughout the national parks in Jambi. One of the main territories of the Orang Rimba is the Bukit Duabelas National Park which is 60,500 hectares and spans three regencies: Batang Hari (65 percent); Tebo (20 percent); and Sarolangun (15 percent). The Orang Rimba have lived in these forests for as long as they can remember, with each community having a leader called the Tumenggung. </p><p>The Orang Rimba fulfil their daily needs by hunting inside the forests using traditional weapons like bow and arrows,  spears, etc. Besides hunting, they also collect resin, red dye from the fruits of rattan trees, and the rattan itself, to sell to the villagers whom they call “people of the light”  for money which they would then use to buy goods for their families. Agricultural fields (huma) have become an alternative source of income for some Orang Rimba, with some families planting rubber trees, vegetables, etc. on a small scale as  an addition to their forest based livelihood. When exploiting the forests they choose which trees are mature to prevent any possibility of forest degradation. The Orang Rimba have strong cultural values which they want to protect and preserve.</p><p>The effects of modernization have intimidated local wisdom and human rights systems of the Orang Rimba. Interventions by the many parties have treated the Orang Rimba as objects, not as subjects with the right to  be involved in the management of Bukit Duabelas National Park. Outsiders often assume that the Orang Rimba are a threat to the National Park, and they have become scapegoats for intellectuals seeking to explain degradation of the National Park. The increasing intervention of outside parties has caused an increase in social conflicts such as: human rights violations; eradication of cultural values; segregation of Orang Rimba communities and the violation of their right to use and manage their customary lands within the National Park. The Orang Rimba have been exploited by foreign donors, while they receive no educational support from the government.</p><p>The creation of the Bukit Dua Belas National Park Management Plan (RPTNBDB) did not consider the Orang Rimba’s political rights in the area's management.</p><p>Those political rights are:</p><ol><li>The right to live and stay in their customary area</li><li>The right to obtain formidable education</li><li>The right to determine one's future</li><li>The right to health</li><li>The right to cultural acknowledgement</li><li>The right to equality</li><li>The right to practice their own religion</li><li>The right to their own social and cultural life</li><li>The right to manage their own resources</li></ol><p>The RPTNBD divides the National Park into a Core Zone, a Jungle Zone, and a Utilization Zone. This zonation reduces the mobility of the Orang Rimba, impacting on their cultural and economic capabilities. The RPTNBD created many other injustices for the Orang Rimba, considering them as merely temporary dwellers in the National Park until they leave the Park and adapt to the lifestyle of the majority of the rural Indonesians. This indirectly takes away their culture which is a violation of: House of Representatives (MPR) Decree No. XVII of 1998 on human rights; MPR Decree No. 11 of 2001 on the ratification of the international covenant on social and economic rights; and Law No. 12 of 2005 on the international covenant on civil and political rights.</p><p>The RPTNBD is highly deficient due to its tendency to be against the Orang Rimba’s rights, especially by disregarding the Indonesian Constitution's article 18 B and 28 I; Law No. 41, 1999 on forestry especially the  67th article; and Law No. 39 of 1999 on human rights especially the 6th article as the basis of the RPTNBD's formulation. The three articles clearly state that “The country acknowledges and regards the elements of customary laws, along with its traditional rights as long as it lives and according to the progress of society and the Republic of Indonesia's laws, which are set according to regulations”. The RPTNBD also disregards Indonesian Government Regulation No. 34 of 2002 on forest management and usage. Article 14 of that Regulation stipulates that “Forest management plans are formulated with regard to the aspirations, participation and the cultural values of the community, and also the environment.” None of the above have been accommodated by the RPTNBD.</p><p>In addition, the formulation of the RPTNBD did not include the Orang Rimba as a direct party, nor those communities that have fields and plantations in the area of the National Park. The RPTNBD will create horizontal and vertical social conflict due to the prohibitions on the use of the fields which are in the National Park.  Nearby villages include Batu Sawar in Muaro Sebo Ulu sub-district; Olak Besar in Bathin XXIV sub-district; Tebo Ilir sub-district; the Sungai Jernih, Tanah Garo, Lancar Tiang villages of Tebo sub-district; the Sungai Jernih, Semurung, Dusun Baru, Lubuk Jering, Pematang Kabau and Bukit Suban villages of Sarolangun sub-district. Ironically, prior to the RPTNBD, conflict already arose between the customary societies and NGOs operating in the area following the destruction of cultivated fields inside the National Park by the Natural Resources Conservation Center.</p><p>Acknowledgment of Orang Rimba’s rights in the management of the National Park is direly needed. This must be supported by implementation of government policies relevant to the lives of the Orang Rimba including cultural, social, economic, and traditional aspects, and an acknowledgment of their equal rights as Indonesian citizens, and justice for the Orang Rimba as an indigenous people.</p> </p> <p> <br> For more information, please contact:<br> <br> Feri Irawan <br> Executive Director (WALHI Jambi)<br> <script type="text/javascript">  </script><br>Telepon kantor: +62-0741-61715<br>Mobile: <br>Fax: +62-0741-61715<h6><strong>Created: 26 Sep 2006 | Updated: 26 Sep 2006</strong></h6>  </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td valign="top" align="right"> <a class="navinfo" href="#" onclick="javascript:window.print(); return false" title="Print"><img src="/web/20080210062859im_/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/attachment/d016df19778a7c563cd1c99afe29c43a/a8088939ae2ec2465b54e8408f51ff28/icon_print.gif" alt="Print" width="15" height="13" hspace="3" vspace="0" border="0"></a> <a class="navinfo" href="#" onclick="javascript:window.print(); return false" title="Print">Print</a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table border="0" width="640" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="99%" valign="top" bgcolor="#ffffff" align="left"> <p class="footer"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20080210062859im_/http://www.walhi.or.id/images/dot_clear.gif" width="600" height="10" hspace="0" vspace="0" border="0" alt=""><br/> <table border="0" width="100%"><tr> <div align="center"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080210062859/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/ttgkami/kebijakan/kerahasiaan/" class="banner">Privacy Policy</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080210062859/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/resources/links/" class="banner">Links</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080210062859/http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/situs/credits/" class="banner">Site Credits</a> | </div> <br><td> <b>Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI)<br> Friends of the Earth Indonesia<br> Jl. 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