JAKARTA – The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) expressed deep regret over the alleged case of human rights violation in an oil palm plantation in Bangka regency, Kepulauan Bangka-Belitung province.
GAPKI Chairman Eddy Martono said on Tuesday (10/12/2024) that the company that owns the palm plantation is not a member of GAPKI. “But we’re concerned with such violation of human rights. We strongly regret that such human rights violation occurred in palm plantation,” Eddy Martono said in a press statement in Jakarta on Tuesday as a response to the media reports that a mother and her baby of one year and two months old were detained in a dog cage by managers of an oil palm plantation company in Bangka regency, Bangka-Belitung province.
He expressed the hope that the mother and her baby will soon recover from the trauma they experienced during their detention and safely reunited with their family.
Reportedly, the mother and her baby were taken to the plantation area and then detained in the dog cage, following the managers’ suspicion that her husband, who works as a driver in the company and his whereabouts were unknown, was suspected of stealing diesel fuel.
According to Eddy, GAPKI as a palm oil organization is strongly committed to highly respecting human rights principles, while all of its 752 member companies are also strongly committed to complying with the human rights principles and the prevailing laws and implementing regulations on human rights in Indonesia. The case caught public attention after going viral on social media.
“We highly respect the human rights principles within the scope of our palm businesses as well as outside of palm businesses,” he said.
Kepulauan Bangka-Belitung Regional Police Commander (Kapolda) Inspector General (Police) Hendro Pandowo said that currently the mother and her baby have been under protection of police. “We conducted a health check on the mother and her baby. They are both in good condition and healthy. Regarding the criminal case, we’re still in the process of investigating it. But so far, we’ve made one of the perpetrators, with the initial of GM, as a suspect and we’ve detained him,” he said. (*)
