11 police officers quizzed over Bulukumba incident<\/p>\n
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi<\/p>\n
Local police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Tigor Situmorang, his deputy
\nComr. Gatot Budiwiono and nine other police offices have been
\nquestioned in connection with a deadly shooting in July that
\nkilled at least two protesters in Bulukumba regency, South
\nSulawesi.<\/p>\n
South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani said
\non Tuesday that the 11 police officers were being questioned by a
\nteam set up to investigate the possibility of procedural
\nviolations in the incident.<\/p>\n
The officers have not been named suspects as the investigation
\nis still under way, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We have formed an inquiry team to investigate whether the 11
\nofficers committed disciplinary offenses and security procedural
\nviolations,\" Jusuf said.<\/p>\n
The shooting took place on July 21 when police fired shots at
\nabout 1,000 villagers in Bulukumba who were rioting in a protest
\nagainst the alleged occupation of their land by rubber plantation
\ncompany PT London Sumatra (Lonsum).<\/p>\n
The police claim two people were killed, but non-governmental
\norganizations, including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment
\n(Walhi), put the death toll at five. Dozens of others were
\ninjured.<\/p>\n
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) earlier
\ndispatched an inquiry team to Bulukumba and found indications of
\nhuman rights abuses by the police.<\/p>\n
After the incident, male residents in at least two villages
\nnear the PT Lonsum-controlled area fled to a nearby forest to
\nhide from security personnel.<\/p>\n
Jusuf said he had held a direct meeting with the Bulukumba
\nPolice chief and his deputy, as well as the nine other police
\nofficers to check the security procedures used to contain the
\nprotesting villagers.<\/p>\n
The examination found security procedural violations, saying
\nTigor Situmorang and Gatot Budiwiono did not brief their officers
\nbefore deploying them to quell the protesters, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Apart from that, the weapons used by the police also have
\nweaknesses or are substandard,\" Jusuf added without elaborating.<\/p>\n
He promised to punish the 11 police officers if proven guilty.<\/p>\n
The Bulukumba Police had declared at least 29 people suspects
\nin the violent protest and rampage on the Lonsum plantation.<\/p>\n
The suspects included several NGO activists and a member of
\nthe Bulukumba Elections Commission (KPU), Iwan Salassa.<\/p>\n
Situmorang had said his office was searching for 26 more
\nsuspects for their alleged role in the unrest.<\/p>\n
Jusuf accused five of the suspects -- Andi Mappasomba, Andi
\nRiadi, Iwan Salassa, Icci and Muhammad Dahlan -- of being the
\ninstigators of the violence.<\/p>\n
\"They incited the violence by cutting down rubber trees and
\nexpelling PT Lonsum workers living on the plantation. They had
\npromised local people free plots of land if the villagers managed
\nto occupy the plantation,\" Jusuf added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/11-police-officers-quizzed-over-bulukumba-incident-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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