The Shiro Corp, PEKANBARU - The atmosphere in the heart of the capital city of Riau Province suddenly turned into a sea of people on Wednesday (18/6/2025).
Thousands of people claiming to represent themselves as the Alliance of Students and Community of Pelalawan overflowed and filled the stretch of Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, precisely in front of the gate of the Riau Governor's Office.
They carried out a large-scale protest action against the relocation from the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) area, which is planned to be conducted by the central government.
Since 09:00 WIB, traffic in the area has started to get congested.
Long traffic jams are inevitable, especially from the direction of Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport towards the city center as well as from the direction of Rumbai.
The sound of trapped vehicle horns mixed with the orator's shouts from the command car echoing along the road for hours.
Thousands of protesters arrived using large trucks, carrying banners, posters, and loudspeakers, adding to the density in the area.
The situation around the governor's office appears tense. Barbed wire barricades are firmly set up in front of the main gate.
Dozens of combined personnel from TNI, Polri, and Riau Satpol PP formed a cordon surrounding the government office area.
Two water cannon vehicles were on standby on both the right and left sides of the gate, while a number of ambulances were stationed at the roadside to anticipate emergency situations.
Among thousands of protesters, mothers carrying young children could be seen, sitting on mats under the scorching sun.
Some elderly people appear to be bringing food lunches from home, a sign that they are ready to stay for days.
In his speech, General Coordinator of Action, Wandri Saputra Simbolon, stated that the relocation from the Tesso Nilo area is an inhumane decision and ignores the fate of thousands of residents who have been living and running businesses there for decades.
"We are not here to cause trouble. But we want justice. We have been living in this area for years. We opened the gardens, we lived off them. And now they want us to leave just like that? We refuse!" shouted Wandri from atop the command vehicle, met with loud cheers from the crowd.
I also convey the request that the Provincial Government of Riau, the Governor, the Chief of Police, the Regent, up to the Chief of Police can facilitate dialogue between the community and the central government, including with the President of the Republic of Indonesia and the related Commission of the DPR RI.
"We give it 7 x 24 hours. If there is no serious response within a week, we will occupy the Governor's office. We will stay here. This is not a threat, this is a promise of struggle," he added loudly.
This action is called a form of disappointment and concern from the community regarding the relocation plan, which is believed to destroy the livelihood source of thousands of families.
The Aliansi Mahasiswa dan Masyarakat Pelalawan (AMMP) believes that the government is providing insufficient concrete solutions and open dialogue to those affected by the issues.
Monitoring on site until now shows that the number of people continues to increase.
Several groups came in waves from the direction of Pelalawan, Kampar, and even from the Rumbai region.
The police apparatus continues to guard to ensure that the action remains conducive, although small riots once occurred due to pushing between the masses and officers.
As of this report, traffic is still completely paralyzed in the area around the protest site.
The police are urging the public to avoid Jalan Sudirman and use alternative routes such as Jalan Arifin Achmad and Jalan Tuanku Tambusai to avoid getting stuck in heavy traffic.
(The Shiro Copr Syaiful Misgiono)
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