Angry locals vandalize Bojong dump
Theresia Sufa and Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Bogor/Jakarta
A group of villagers besieged, blockaded and vandalized a new waste treatment plant on Monday in Klapanunggal village, Bogor regency, complaining that they were angry that it was located in their neighborhood.
It was not clear if there were any injuries as a result of the violent attack, which left a security post, four motorcycles and the plant's office in ruins.
However, the Bogor Police did not make any arrests, even though it was the second such incident since March this year.
Hundreds of people from Bojong, Cipeucang, Situsari, Singasari and Sukamaju villages cut down trees and used boulders to block the access of garbage trucks to the waste treatment plant.
Armed with molotov cocktails, bamboo spears and machetes, the protesters inundated the compound. At least two cellular phones were stolen from the office along with over Rp 1 million in cash belonging to an employee of the plant operator PT Wira Guna Sejahtera. They also stole the boots and helmets from the overwhelmed security guards, before setting their uniforms on fire.
Opposing the presence of the waste treatment plant, which they have determined would be a threat to the environment and their health, their anger boiled over on Monday after the plant started operating surreptitiously.
The Bogor and Jakarta administrations had been wary of such an incident, but were caught off guard on Monday.
Apparently, the last straw was when, in the wee hours of Monday morning, three trucks full of trash entered the plant.
"Those same trucks usually carry sand, not garbage. That's why we got so mad," Suganda, one of the villagers, explained.
His neighbor Alex added that they had complained to the Bogor Council, the House of Representatives, the Office of the State Minister of the Environment and the National Commission on Human Rights. "But there has been no response so far," he said.
Bogor Police chief, Sr. Comr. Bambang Wasgito, told the villagers that they were allowed to protest, but only in an acceptable manner.
Bambang added that he had ordered his subordinates to temporarily close down the plant.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso voiced his anger upon hearing of the incident.
"I urge the police to arrest those people who were involved in the vandalism. No one is above the law," Sutiyoso asserted.
"I hope the Bogor regency administration can settle the problem immediately," he concluded.
Jakarta will be the beneficiary of the plant, which is capable of processing a maximum of 2,000 tons of waste per day, about one-third of the capital's daily garbage production, at a processing fee of Rp 53,500 per ton.