Farmers questioned over Lombok clash
Farmers questioned over Lombok clash
Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni and Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Mataram/Jakarta
Police said on Monday they have questioned at least 11 people as
witnesses in connection with a bloody clash a day earlier between
police and farmers in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo said
the witnesses, who were questioned by East Nusa Tenggara police,
were mostly farmers who attended a conference that turned
violent.
"No suspects have been named as yet by the police," Aryanto
told the press but added that at least six people may be
implicated in sparking Sunday's disturbances.
The clash erupted as local police officers forcibly evicted
farmers who were attending the conference on a block of land
earmarked for the construction of an airport in Penujab.
Those in attendance included activists from the NTB Farmers
Union and members of the international La Via Campesina farmers
union, who all rejected the planned building of the airport.
The local police said the meeting was illegal but the
participants refused to disperse, arguing that they had obtained
a permit to hold the conference from National Police
Headquarters.
But the local police said the permit had been revoked for fear
that the event could incite a clash between the conference
participants and "local residents supporting the new airport".
The police, however, said that no action would be taken
against officers who shot dozens of farmers during the clashes in
Penujak, Central Lombok.
East Nusa Tenggara Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. H.M. Basri
claimed that the shootings were in line with standing procedures.
"These people had been warned that the permit had been revoked
so that they had no right to hold the conference. However, they
then became violent. Everything we did was in accordance with
procedures, although they accuse us of rights violations," Basri
said.
"As the participants refused to go home and instead hurled
stones at the officers and attacked them with machetes and
spears, the officers fired warning shots. When they ignored
these, they fired rubber bullets at the protesters," Aryanto
said, echoing Basri's comments.
Aryanto claimed that only 15 protesters had been taken to the
Central Lombok Hospital for gunshot wounds, and that 46 police
officers had also been injured in the clash.
"We also confiscated three machetes, one spear, a lot of
stones and also the marquee used for the conference," he added.
However, non-governmental organization activists involved in
the event said the number of wounded farmers was at least 27.
The conference was supposed to have ended with the installing
of a plaque on the disputed plot of land to mark the farmers'
opposition to the airport project.
The land had reportedly been acquired by state-owned airport
operator PT Angkasa Pura in 1995.
Late last month, hundreds of farmers held rallies to protest
against the scheduled arrival of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono in the area to attend the ground-breaking ceremony to
mark the start of the airport's construction.