20 injured in protest against water bill
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.