Fact Check: Is Viral Video of Land Eviction Linked to Village Cooperative?

A video circulating on social media platforms X and Facebook claims to show the eviction of residents for the operational site of a Merah Putih Village Cooperative. The footage depicts uniformed personnel dismantling a hut on an oil palm plantation while women cook nearby, with narration asserting that no community businesses are permitted within a two-kilometer radius of the cooperative.

However, a fact-check by Tempo, utilizing reverse image searches and credible news sources, found the claim to be false. While alleged evictions linked to Merah Putih Village Cooperatives have been reported elsewhere, the video in question actually shows the demolition of farmers' property in Laoli Village, East Luwu, South Sulawesi. This demolition was carried out to make way for a national strategic project operated by PT Indonesia Hualy Industrial Park (IHIP).

The incident occurred on Friday, July 31, 2026, when hundreds of personnel from the Public Order Agency, police, and military were deployed to demolish farmers' homes. Residents stated they have been managing the land since 1998. LBH Makassar researcher Siti Nur Alisa reported that the East Luwu Regency Government unilaterally claimed 395 hectares of land by issuing a land management right (HPL) in 2024, without transparency or farmer involvement. M. Ismail of the South Sulawesi People's Coalition Against National Strategic Projects confirmed that 17 homes were demolished, and several residents sustained injuries.

Ismail criticized the eviction, calling it an example of state power being used to seize people's living spaces for investment interests, rather than a simple land eviction. The report also notes that alleged land evictions linked to Merah Putih Village Cooperatives have been reported in other locations, such as Botto Mallangga Village in Enrekang Regency, South Sulawesi.

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The incident in Harapan Village was not merely an ordinary land eviction, but an example of the use of state power to seize people's living spaces for the interests of investment.