Farmers complain about beating

JAKARTA (JP): Farmers from Cimacan village, Cianjur, complained yesterday about alleged police brutality toward five of their colleagues when they entered Cibodas Golf Course to reclaim their land on Tuesday.

The five were reportedly beaten and kicked by police officers in a bid to force the farmers out of the golf course complex, said Amir, one of the farmers' representatives who went to the National Commission on Human Rights to present their complaint.

The farmers, who were accompanied by student activists and lawyers from Bogor Ampera Legal Aid Institute, were received by commission members B.N. Marbun and Soegiri.

Amir said two students of Bogor's Pakuan University who tried to break up the clash were also beaten.

He said the Cimacan farmers had pledged to take back 33.4 hectares of land which had become a golf course.

"After the toppling of president Soeharto the farmers are no longer afraid. What we want now is to get back our land, on which we used to grow vegetables," Amir said. (jun)