Another riot feared during trial in Bojong<\/p>\n
Theresia Sufa and Eva C. Komandjaja, Bogor\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Alarmed by escalating tension between a dump site operator and
\nresidents of Bojong in Bogor, West Java, an influential local
\ncouncillor warned that another riot could occur if the dump was
\nreopened.<\/p>\n
Councillor Dedi Mulyadi, who heads Bogor Regency Council
\nCommission C for environmental issues, said the operator of the
\ndump, PT Wira Guna Sejahtera, could see a repeat of the November
\n2004 riot if it went ahead with a planned trial run of the dump.<\/p>\n
\"If the company insists on conducting a trial operation, all
\nwe can do is throw our hands up in the air,\" said Dedi. \"They
\nwill have to solve the problem on their own.\"<\/p>\n
Dedi also said the council was prepared to summon Bogor Regent
\nAgus Utara Effendi for a full accounting should another riot
\noccur.<\/p>\n
\"The root of the problem can be traced back to the executive
\nbranch,\" said Dedi. \"They issued the dump's operating license in
\nthe first place.\"<\/p>\n
On Nov. 22, 2004, the last time the dump operator attempted a
\ntrial run of the facility, residents gathered outside the site to
\nprotest what they said would be the dump's harmful impact on the
\nsurrounding area.<\/p>\n
The protest soon turned violent and several residents had to
\nbe hospitalized for their injuries. Twenty-four police officers
\nwere severely reprimanded for using unnecessary force to quell
\nthe protest, and 18 Bojong residents were jailed for causing Rp 8
\nbillion (US$865,000) in damages to the dump.<\/p>\n
Members of the Bogor Regency Council, who had just been seated
\nat the time of the November violence, have stated that they would
\nprefer the dump, constructed in 2003, to suspend its operations
\nindefinitely and, if possible, find a new site.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, a rally in support of the dump was attended by
\nabout 200 people. Villagers and non-governmental organizations
\ninsisted that the rally was staged by \"thugs\" paid by PT Wira
\nGuna Sejahtera.<\/p>\n
Hermawanto of the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation said the thugs
\npatrolled the area around the dump, threatening residents with
\nviolence if they removed banners supporting the dump.<\/p>\n
Sunday's rally prompted hundreds of Bojong residents opposed
\nto the dump to stage a demonstration in front of the National
\nPolice Headquarters in South Jakarta on Monday.<\/p>\n
\"Residents would rather stay at the police headquarters than
\ngo home because they fear the thugs,\" said Erwin, a protest
\ncoordinator.<\/p>\n
Erwin said the residents \"were forced\" to take their case to
\nthe National Police Headquarters because the Bogor Police had
\ndone nothing to protect them from the \"thugs.\"<\/p>\n
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo said
\nthe West Java Police and Bogor Police would be contacted about
\nthis issue.<\/p>\n
In response to the rallies, the Bogor Police asked both sides
\nto remain calm while they investigated the alleged intimidation.<\/p>\n
A senior officer at the Bogor Police, Comr. Irfan, said
\nofficers would conduct operations shortly to \"prevent any clashes
\nand to thwart any 'infiltration by outsiders'\".<\/p>\n
When fully operational, the Bojong facility would have the
\ncapacity to process 2,000 tons of waste. Jakarta currently relies
\non just one dump, located in Bekasi, West Java, to handle its
\n6,200 tons of daily waste.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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