Farmers protest police intimidation

PADANG, West Sumatra: Dozens of farmers from Kapa village in West Sumatra filed a police report on Wednesday, complaining about alleged intimidation against them by security personnel.

The farmers say they were victims of intimidation when asked to move from their ancestral lands.

Zulkifli, one of the protesters, said the farmers asked West Sumatra Police Chief Brig. Gen. Adang Firman to investigate the involvement of his subordinates in the case.

"We are afraid because they (police officers) are essentially forcing us to leave our land. They even fired shots in the air to threaten us," he said.

The dispute centers on more than 3,800 hectares of ancestral land in Kapa. Some 2,000 hectares are managed by a oil palm plantation, while the remaining 1,800 hectares are controlled by a group of other farmers who are not opposed to the plan.

The protesting farmers demanded that the authorities allow them to continue to manage some 1,400 hectares. But the request was rejected and some of the group's members sold their plots of land to around 50 police officers.

The protesters would press ahead with their demands, according to Zulkifli. --JP