Jokowi downplays Rempang riot as miscommunication

Demonstrators clash with security officials while protesting against a plan to evict residents of Rempang Island to make way for an economic hub, in Batam City, Riau Islands, on Sept 7, 2023. - BP Batam via BenarNews

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): President 'Jokowi' Widodo has described local opposition to plans to develop a new eco-city project on Rempang Island, in Riau Islands, as a case of miscommunication, as he promised to send Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia to resolve the issue.

Over the past week, Rempang residents have been staging protests against the development plan. The national strategic project is slated to turn the 17,000-hectare island into a new economic zone that is expected to attract US$11.5 billion in investment, but at a cost of the forced eviction of hundreds of families living on the island.