Faith-based groups in North Sumatra have joined Indigenous Sihaporas farmers in their decades-long struggle to reclaim ancestral lands from pulp and paper company PT Batak Toba Lestari (BTL).
The groups urged the government to step in and end what they describe as a humanitarian crisis.
In mid-October 2025, BTL reportedly blocked the main access road to the Sihaporas community’s farmlands, preventing villagers from reaching their crops.
The closure has left families without income and deepened economic hardship across the Indigenous settlement.
The conflict traces back to the 1990s, when the government granted a concession to PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL) over 2,000 hectares of land traditionally farmed by the Lamtoras Indigenous community.
Locals say they have cultivated the area since the 1800s, relying on it for food, forest produce, and ancestral burial grounds.
Jhontoni Tarihoran, head of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) for the Tano Batak region, said the community “has long awaited the state’s presence to resolve the agrarian conflict in Sihaporas Village.”
Several religious institutions have joined the Sihaporas struggle, including the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Capuchin Medan, the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP), the HKBP Theological Seminary (STT HKBP) in Pematang Siantar, and religious sisters from various congregations.
These groups not only prayed with the villagers but also worked alongside them to repair the damaged road, filling deep holes so farmers could pass through.
Yet, according to local reports, “every time the villagers and volunteers succeeded in repairing the road, PT BTL allegedly dug new holes,” cutting off the route again and trapping harvests in the fields.
Unable to reach their land, farmers said their crops of coffee, corn, and ginger are now rotting. The community has appealed to the government “not to remain silent in the face of this humanitarian crisis” and to take decisive action after decades of neglect.
The situation escalated on September 22, 2025, when hundreds of TPL workers—accompanied by security personnel—entered the Buttu Pangaturan area to plant and harvest company crops. About 30 Indigenous residents tried to intervene, leading to clashes that quickly turned violent.
Thirty-four villagers were injured, four houses were damaged, and several vehicles were burned. Six company workers were also hurt, and two operational vehicles—a patrol car and a fire truck—were set ablaze.
Since the incident, most Sihaporas residents have stayed indoors, venturing out only for essentials. “Our economy has really collapsed. We haven’t been able to work our land for a month,” said a farmer named Mangitua. His coffee cherries, he added, are ripe but unharvested.
The Lamtoras community plans to bring their case before the Regent of Simalungun, the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), the national parliament (DPR), and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
Fr. Walden Sitanggang, OFMCap, of JPIC Capuchin Medan, said the Church’s solidarity will continue.
“We will continue to stand by them in this struggle, and thankfully, various other communities have also come to the ground to support their fight,” said Fr. Sitanggang.
The priest said JPIC Capuchin Medan views the conflict not only as a land issue but as a test of justice and compassion.
“What’s at stake here,” he noted, “is the dignity of Indigenous peoples and their right to live from the land they have cared for over generations.”
As the standoff persists, the Sihaporas people continue to wait—for justice, for access to their fields, and for the state’s long-promised intervention.
