Indonesia’s transmigration is a carefully planned program implemented by the Transmigration Ministry under guidelines developed to protect its participants, the environment in which they settle, and the indigenous people who may already he there. Established as a separate Ministry in the Cabinet, Transmigration, in co-operation with other relevant agencies, oversees the program and its new settlements, until they become self-sufficient.

Before establishing a settlement, the Transmigration Ministry undertakes a complex site-selection process including exploration, analysis, planning and preparation, designed to make sure that a new settlement is in an area suitable for development. This selection process may take as long as a decade and involve the expertise of soil scientists, crop experts, civil engineers, geologists, agricultural economists, anthropologists and regional planners.

These experts, many of whom are consultants to the Ministry and are often funded by international development agencies and industrialized countries, test soil, measure rainfall, examine topography and assess transportation requirements and market accessibility. Education and medical needs are determined, as is the impact of newcomers on the physical and cultural environment of the area.

Since transmigration’s goals are to raise living standards, provide opportunities for new jobs and contribute to the overall development of the nation, sites that do not meet the objectives are rejected. Reasons for rejection include poor soil, poor location, inadequate water, inability to agree with landowners on terms for acquiring land, a conflict with conservation goals or the possibility of an adverse impact on local inhabitants.

Only after the extensive fieldwork and research are completed, does the Transmigration Ministry undertake the physical work of constructing a new settlement and bringing in new settlers. Although final tilling of the land for planting is left to the new transmigrants, the Ministry oversees the construction phase that includes basic land clearing, construction of essential infrastructure such as streets, roads, and community buildings schools, medical clinics, mosques, temples, and churches as well as the actual homes to be occupied by the transmigrants.

Thus, rather than permitting transmigrants to settle anywhere they choose regardless of who might own the land or the impact on the overall environment, the Ministry designates special areas of settlement. These settlement areas, which total some 3.5 million acres, less than one percent of Indonesia’s available land, exclude areas in which large numbers of indigenous people live and the 120 million acres that have been set aside as national parks and protected forest reserves.