Bojong residents initially denied access to wounded relatives

The Jakarta Post, Bogor/Bandung/Jakarta

Dozens of mostly women residents of Bojong village, Klapanunggal district, Bogor, West Java, had to undergo a long journey on Tuesday before being allowed to visit their husbands and brothers hospitalized with gunshot wounds after Monday's clash with the police over the opening of a waste processing facility.

National Commission on Human Rights member M.M. Billah received complaints from the women on how they were denied access to the Sukanto Police Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, and reports on family members who were still missing.

Accompanied by Billah, the residents were finally allowed to see their relatives in the hospital.

Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) deputy director Rida Saleh, who accompanied the women, said that the National Police had also given its permission on Tuesday afternoon for the families to visit the victims in the hospital.

"After a visit and a body count, it has become clear that six victims were shot, not seven as we previously thought."

Another victim was reportedly receiving treatment in the hospital for cuts.

The clash was the result of the residents' vehement opposition to the waste treatment plant, which is operated by PT Wira Guna Sejahtera and is designed to process waste from Jakarta and Bogor, which the residents believe will give rise to health problems and damage the environment.

The plant was supposed to use environmentally friendly bale press technology. However, the machinery turned out not to be suitable as it can only process non-organic waste. So, the operator converted the facility into an incinerator.

The residents' protest during the tryout of the plant on Monday turned ugly after they tried to burn down the facility. The police opened fire using live rounds, wounding six protesters as a result. They then beat and detained 33 others.

The wounded and detained protesters have been named suspects for inciting the clash.

Human rights activists immediately demanded talks with the National Police on Monday night, slamming the violence and claiming it was a gross violation of human rights.

One resident, Ontin, reported to the rights commission that her husband, Dudung, had gone missing after the disturbances.

The residents said that most of the village's young men had decided to leave home out of fear that the police would arbitrarily arrest them as suspects.

They also reported that their relatives who had been detained in the Bogor police station had been badly beaten and that at first they were not allowed to see them.

State Minister for the Environment, Rachmat Witoelar, blamed the Jakarta and Bogor administrations for their failure to disseminate information to the residents beforehand. This corroborated a statement by the West Java governor, Danny Setiawan, who said that he had never received the environmental impact analysis for the facility, which is located in a residential area.

West Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Edi Darnadi said he would facilitate a meeting between all those involved to find an amicable solution to the problem, and that he had sent internal affairs officers to question the police personnel who had been involved in the incident.

2003 June 15, The construction of Bojong dump starts
June 20, First residents' protest, hundreds rally at City Hall
July 30, Second protest, 400 residents rally at City Hall
Dec. 5, Four residents arrested for trying to attack police who come to guard the dump site
Dec. 22, The Bogor regency gave green light to use the area as a dump site
Dec. 24, Three residents injured as they clashed with the police when trying to stop trucks carrying building materials for the plant's construction

2004 Jan. 2, The Jakarta administration gears up for first dump operation
Jan. 3, The Bogor regency and the Jakarta administrations sign MoU over the operation of the dump site
Jan. 4, The Bantar Gebang dump was closed as Bekasi regency reject Jakarta's plea for extension
Feb. 6, First planned trial meet with pierce opposition
March 3, Residents blockade the access for two trucks carrying garbage to the plant
March 16, Delay trial to after April 5 election
Aug. 6, Delay trial to Aug. 15 due to strong residents' opposition
Oct. 4, Another planned trial ended in violence when thousands of residents vandalized the plant and felled trees to block access to dump
Nov. 1, Another trial delay
Nov. 20, The Jakarta and Bogor administration were forced to call off another planned trial in the face of fierce protests by residents and police warnings
Nov. 23, Six residents were shot and 33 others were arrested in the protest-turned riot against the latest planned trial of the dump. Residents reportedly burned plant building and nine cars.