Bogor residents protest PLN line

Bogor residents protest PLN line

BOGOR: Seven out of the 30 Ciseeng village residents, who went
on a hunger strike here protesting a high-voltage transmission
line over their homes, fainted on Thursday.

Imas, 21, one of the residents who fainted, also bled from her
ears. But when she and other protesters regained their
consciousness, they vowed to continue the strike until state-
owned electricity company PT PLN met their demand for
compensation.

The villagers are worried that radiation emanating from the
line, which passes over eight villages in the regency, could harm
their health.

An initial seventeen residents started the hunger strike on
Monday, and by Thursday, the protesters numbered 30 as more and
more peopled turned out to join the protest.

"I am used to fasting, so I can still do this. But I find it
hard to breathe and I see stars. I also vomited several times,"
Tati said.

Yalisma, a physician from the Waluya Sejati Foundation, said
the protesters were still in good condition.

Dadang, a local youth activist, said the residents had been
protesting against the PLN project since 1997, but they had
received no response. -- JP