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Malays, Orang Darat tribes forced to evict their village for China-backed project in Indonesia
By AFPOctober 4, 2023 @ 11:01am


REMPANG, Indonesia: Sitting on a creaky bridge linking stilt houses, Indonesian fisherman Sadam Husen fears for his people and their traditions, knowing they may be uprooted from their ancestral land to make way for a China-funded megaproject worth billions.
The Indonesian government recently told Rempang island's 7,500 residents to pack their bags and leave by the end of September.
Residents say their families have been present on the South China Sea island for more than a century, mostly earning a living as fishermen, catching fresh snapper, shrimp, and sea cucumbers.
But under government plans the villagers, who include members of the Malay and Orang Darat tribes, are to be relocated away from their homes and replaced by a huge quartz sand processing plant.