A Deadly Land Dispute in Bengkulu Selatan Exposes the Brutal Collision Between Corporate Palm Oil Interests and Indonesia’s Rural Farmers
The tranquil, fertile landscapes of Bengkulu Selatan—often hailed as part of Indonesia’s green heart—were violently ruptured on Monday, 24 November 2025. What began as a peaceful protest against the aggressive land claims of palm oil giant PT Agro Bengkulu Selatan (PT ABS) descended rapidly into bloodshed. Five farmers from Pino Raya—men whose identities and livelihoods are inseparable from the land—were shot by a company security guard.
This was not a local anomaly. It was a visceral demonstration of Indonesia’s deep-rooted agrarian crisis: a lethal intersection of corporate power, weak governance, and the systemic dispossession of rural communities. The wounds suffered by Linsurman, Edi Hermanto, Santo, Suhardin, and the critically injured Buyung expose a development model that privileges profit over human dignity, and palm oil expansion over fundamental rights. Their suffering lifts the veil on the darker reality of the global palm oil supply chain and the brutal human cost behind its relentless growth.
The shooting in Desa Kembang Seri, Pino Raya, represents the latest flashpoint in a long, bitter land dispute between local farmers and PT ABS. For years, the community has challenged the company’s claim to the contested area, citing long-standing customary rights and their dependence on the land for survival.
The conflict escalated dramatically on 24 November 2025. PT ABS personnel, shielded by private security, deployed heavy machinery—including a bulldozer—to flatten and clear the contested land for plantation expansion, destroying existing crops in the process. This was reportedly the third crop destruction of the day.
As frustration mounted, farmers mobilized to physically block the machinery—a desperate attempt to protect their livelihoods. At approximately 12:45 PM Western Indonesian Time, the confrontation turned deadly when a PT ABS security guard identified as Ricky allegedly opened fire on the unarmed farmers, critically injuring Buyung and wounding four others.
Genesis, a leading environmental and human rights organization, immediately condemned the attack and called for a transparent, comprehensive investigation—a demand that underscores the urgent need for accountability in a sector historically plagued by violence and land grabs.
The Chronology of Violence: A Day of Reckoning
The sequence of events on 24 November 2025 followed a grim pattern familiar in Indonesia’s agrarian conflicts. The day began with PT ABS’s bulldozer returning repeatedly to destroy crops—an act of economic violence aimed at erasing the farmers’ primary means of survival. By 10:00 AM, the farmers had witnessed their harvest being razed for the third time that morning. This triggered a confrontation at 10:45 AM, as the farmers pleaded with company representatives to halt operations. The company refused.
By noon, tension gave way to collective defiance as farmers surrounded the team. At 12:45 PM, Ricky allegedly fired the first bullet—directly into Buyung’s chest. The shot was not a warning. It was a lethal act delivered at close range. As farmers surged to help and pursue the attacker, he fired again and again: hitting Linsurman’s knee, Edi Hermanto’s thigh, Santo’s lower rib cage, and Suhardin’s calf before being restrained by the enraged community.
The chronology—corroborated by multiple sources including Walhi Bengkulu’s Executive Director Dodi Faisal—reveals a private security guard wielding a firearm against civilians in a land dispute that should have been handled by state authorities. The central question is no longer what happened, but why a corporate security officer carried—and used—a weapon capable of killing unarmed farmers defending ancestral land. In that moment, a civil dispute mutated into a violent crime for which corporate decision-makers cannot escape responsibility.
The Human Cost of Palm Oil: Five Lives on the Line
The tragedy is measured not only in bullets fired, but in the irreversible human cost. Buyung, shot in the right side of his chest, survived only through extraordinary medical intervention. His long recovery will be a constant reminder of the day corporate force eclipsed human life. The four other victims—Linsurman, Edi Hermanto, Santo, and Suhardin—now face prolonged medical treatment, rehabilitation, and uncertainty about their ability to work.
These are subsistence farmers, not land barons. Many earn around IDR 100,000 per day (approximately S$8.30), a precarious income now endangered by injury, hospital bills, and the destruction of their crops. A single day of hospitalization in a major Indonesian city can exceed a year’s income at that rate.
The bullets did more than pierce flesh—they tore at the social fabric of Pino Raya. Trauma, financial ruin, and generational insecurity now loom over families whose only “crime” was defending the land they depend upon. In this case, the real price of palm oil is paid not in dollars, but in blood.
The Genesis of a Demand: A Call for Systemic Change
Genesis has framed this tragedy as a turning point demanding systemic reform. Their call for an impartial investigation is essential, but the stakes extend far beyond the five victims. Indonesia’s unresolved agrarian conflicts stem from the state’s chronic failure to recognize customary land rights—a vacuum that corporations exploit. If Indonesia seeks stability, it must urgently enforce its own protections, prosecute both perpetrators and corporate architects of violence, freeze land-clearing operations in disputed territories, and conduct sweeping reviews of existing concessions.
The country cannot continue enabling a development model where economic expansion justifies the erosion of citizens’ rights. Structural reform, not rhetorical promises, is now the only viable path forward.
The Global Echo: A Warning to the International Community
The shooting in Bengkulu Selatan reverberates far beyond Indonesia. Palm oil is a global commodity, embedded in products—from food to cosmetics—consumed daily around the world. Yet its affordability is too often subsidized by human suffering.
International investors, Southeast Asian partners, and global consumers must confront the reality that ethical sourcing is not merely idealistic—it is necessary. Companies must enforce zero-tolerance policies for violence, respect customary rights, and engage in good-faith negotiations with local communities.
The narrative of “sustainable palm oil” collapses when a farmer is shot for protecting his crops. The international market can no longer ignore its complicity. If global demand continues to reward companies linked to aggression, tragedies like Pino Raya will persist.
The shooting of five farmers in Pino Raya is a stark reminder that Indonesia’s agrarian crisis continues to fester beneath the surface of national development. The critical condition of Buyung and the injuries sustained by his companions expose a system that has failed to protect its most vulnerable citizens from corporate overreach.
For Southeast Asia and the international business community, this tragedy underscores the volatile intersection between rapid development and fragile governance. When private security forces can fire upon civilians over land rights, investor confidence rests on uncertain ethical ground.
The soil of Bengkulu Selatan remains unsettled—not only because of the violence, but because the questions it raises have yet to be answered. Until the rule of law definitively prevails over corporate muscle, Indonesia’s claim to ethical, sustainable commerce will remain deeply contested. Readers seeking to understand this evolving crisis, its implications, and the broader landscape of Southeast Asian development will find deeper context and ongoing coverage on our homepage, where the story of accountability continues to unfold.
Sources:
[1] Genesis: Usut tuntas penembakan lima petani Pino Raya Bengkulu Selatan
[2] Kronologi Penembakan 5 Petani di Pino Raya Bengkulu Selatan
[3] Detik-Detik Penembakan Lima Petani di Pino Raya, Hari Kerja yang Berubah Menjadi Luka
[4] Genesis Desak Usut Tuntas Penembakan Petani Pino Raya di Bengkulu Selatan
Keywords: Palm Oil Agrarian Conflict, Indonesia Farmer Shooting Case, Bengkulu Selatan Land Dispute, Corporate Violence In Plantations, Human Rights In Indonesia, Palm Oil Expansion Impact, Southeast Asia Agrarian Crisis, Land Rights In Indonesia, Palm Oil Industry Accountability, Rural Community Land Defense, Indonesia Environmental Justice Case, Corporate Security Abuse Indonesia, Fatal Palm Oil Dispute, Indonesia Agrarian Reform Urgency, Global Palm Oil Ethics
