Four Madurese farmers return to seek justice

JAKARTA (JP): Four farmers from the island of Madura returned to Jakarta yesterday to demand that the authorities bring to justice those responsible for the death of their four colleagues during a land conflict in September last year.

The farmers, who said they represent thousands of their colleagues in the Sampang regency, met with members of the National Commission on Human Rights, asking that they push the government to reopen the case.

Junaidi, P. Hudhori, Zaini and M. Makruf met with Baharuddin Lopa, the commission's secretary general, and members Bambang W. Soeharto and Clementino Dos Reis Amaral.

They said that they have been haunted once again by the national land agency to measure the land in the area although the government has not yet resolved the case that lead to the death of their friends.

"We want the incident settled and those guilty brought to trial. Only after that will we agree to discuss further deals concerning our land," said Makruf in his thick Madura dialect.

Three men and a woman were killed in September during a demonstration which ensued when a government team visited their village to measure the land which was being acquired for a huge reservoir. According to one version, troopers accompanying the team opened fire on the demonstrators.

The incident caused a major uproar, forcing the military and the local government to remove some of the top officials in Madura. To date, no one however, has been brought to court.

The farmers yesterday asked the Commission to persuade the government to prosecute those responsible and halt any attempt to acquire the land until the matter is fully resolved in court.

They also asked Commission members to visit Sampang and talk with the local people and put a stop to practices of intimidation.

Chance

Responding to the appeal, Lopa asked the people of Sampang to give the government a chance to investigate the incident, while allowing land measurements to proceed at the same time.

"This is what I call making good use of time... When people come to the Commission, they can't always get what they want because this is not a courtroom. At the Commission we don't have winners or losers, instead we create a bridge which brings the two sides together," Lopa explained.

Lopa suggested that the people give two or three years for the government to prosecute those responsible for the killings.

"If there's no verdict by then, the people can sue the officials," he said, adding that as a guarantee, the government could agree to hold off construction of any development projects until a verdict is reached.

Lopa said the commission "seriously considered" the Nipah case and planned to visit the area sometime in the future.

However, he said, the Commission would also like to see the Madura people, the local government officials and religious leaders come together.

He asked the people not to be easily provoked "because no one benefits from it".

Zaini said that although he considered Lopa's suggestions "very good", the group could not immediately agree on them until they had the approval of their people in Sampang.

Commenting on Lopa's request that the villagers get together with the government, Zaini said, "That is exactly our problem and it is why we are here."

"The government has never made an attempt to approach us ... Even the measurements on our lands were made without consulting us. We have always given in to them," he pointed out.

The group said Lopa -- who until the end of the meeting was unable to settle on a date for his visit to East Java -- could have the people's response to his requests when he visited them. (pwn)