20 injured in protest against water bill

Slamet Susanto and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta/Jakarta

A number of people were injured during a clash between police and about 200 protesters who staged a rally against the water resources bill in Yogyakarta on Monday.

One of the protesters was admitted to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

The clash occurred when the demonstrators, protesting outside the city council building on Jl. Malioboro, were about to move to nearby City Hall in a bid to express their concerns over the issue to the governor and the head of the National Land Agency (BPN) in Yogyakarta.

However, 15 police officers suddenly attacked the coalition of farmers and students with their sticks and feet.

Coalition spokesman Rokhaman said the move injured some protesters. One of them, identified as Adi Putra Anril, a student from the Islamic Indonesia University (UII), was admitted to hospital with head injuries.

Another student, Jukil Adiningrat from the Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University (UMY), was arrested for questioning by police, Rokhaman said.

"There are likely more protesters suffering injuries," he told reporters.

Protest field coordinator Edi Junaidi questioned the police move to use force to disperse the protesters.

"This is a peaceful action to commemorate National Farmers Day, we had already notified police about it," he said.

Edi said the coalition demanded the government implement land reform that protects farmers and peasants.

Separately in Jakarta, Agriculture Minister Bungaran Saragih raised his concerns over the water resources bill, which will likely create more difficulties for farmers over access to water for their farmlands.

"Water for public services and irrigation must not be commercialized," he told reporters, saying that developed countries protect water for public services.

Bungaran vowed to fight for the interests of farmers in deliberations of the bill because the wrong regulations on water would have a direct impact on farmers, food security and the success of food production in the country.

"We will fight for the farmers. Don't worry about water for farmlands," he said, repeatedly.

Bungaran feared the government would not be able to meet its targets for food production should it charge water for farmers.

The House of Representatives and the government have postponed deliberations of the bill until after the House recess in October. The bill is expected to be passed into law late this year.

Non-governmental organizations have widely opposed the bill, saying that it has a hidden agenda to commercialize water usage.

They said the deliberations were connected to the proposed last disbursement of the World Bank's US$300 million loan under the Water Resources Sector Adjustment Loan (WATSAL) mandating water reform initiatives, including a law that allows the privatization of the water sector.