The stalled expansion of Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta, Indonesia, is now expected to push through after state-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II (Pelindo II) and protesters of the project agreed to settle their land dispute.
Pelindo II and the self-proclaimed heirs of Mbah (Grandfather) Priok, a revered figure in the area, have come to a compromise agreement that Mbah Priok’s tomb within the port premises will not be dismantled.
Instead the tomb will be converted into a pilgrimage site, according to Pelindo II president director RJ Lino, the Jakarta Post reported.
Pelindo II also agreed to build a 400-meter access road between the Cilincing toll road and the burial area as well as a parking lot for pilgrims.
The disagreement between Pelindo II and the heirs of Mbah Priok started in 1997, when the latter opposed the expansion of the port since it would lead to the demolition of the 20-square-meter tomb of the historical Islamic figure as well as the illegal buildings on a nearby 300-square-meter plot of land.
The squabble between the two sides had escalated enough to cause delays in the expansion of Tanjung Priok Port and led to a violent clash in April 2010 between the protesters and police authorities.
