Komnas HAM probes shooting tragedy
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has launched an investigation into an incident in which police shot and killed up to five protesters in Bulukumba regency, South Sulawesi, on July 21.
Police put the death toll at two but non-governmental organizations put the figure at five.
Dozens of others were injured after police fired on more than 1,000 villagers who were rioting in protest against the alleged occupation of their land by rubber plantation company PT London Sumatra (Lonsum).
The unrest flared up at Bonto Mangiring village in Bulukumba, some 210 kilometers from the provincial capital of Makassar.
A Komnas HAM team headed by Hasballah M. Saad left Makassar for Bulukumba on Thursday morning to gather first-hand information from the scene.
"Our purpose here is to collect and cross check data on the case. We will work optimally," said M.M. Billah, a member of the team.
He did not say whether there was any possibility of serious human rights abuses in the incident.
On Wednesday, Hasballah, Billah and the third team member, Yuwaldi, held separate meetings with South Sulawesi Governor Amin Syam and South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Jusuf Manggabarani as part of the investigation.
During the meetings, dozens of students staged a protest in Makassar to urge Komnas HAM to solve the case.
Billah said his team had received reports that contained contradicting data on the death toll.
The report from police claimed only two persons were killed at the scene.
However, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and the Institute of Development and Human Resources Studies (Lakpesdam), affiliated to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), said the death toll had risen to five.
Three of the victims were identified as Rajo, who bled to death, Sangkala who was killed at the scene, and Sampe who died after surviving for several days in a jungle nearby, said Lakpesdam and Walhi, which had both investigated the violence at the scene.
Jusuf said police were holding at least 26 people at the Bulukumba police office. The detainees included two non- governmental organization activists -- Andi Mappasomba and Andi Adi Mappasulle -- who were charged with inciting the riot.
Police are still searching for several activists and villagers who fled after the violence, Jusuf added.
Shortly after the incident, he defended his men who opened fire on the rioters as they had refused to end the violent protest, even though warning shots had been fired to disperse them.
The unrest started when people from Bonto Mangiring and neighboring villages rampaged through a plantation belonging to PT London Sumatra, cutting down rubber trees and attacking a housing complex.
The villagers, carrying saws, also occupied a company office.
The protesters accused the company of occupying their traditional land in Bonto Mangiring in 1967, which led to the eviction of many villagers there.