One killed, 3 buildings burned in Solok brawl

Kasparman Piliang, The Jakarta Post, Padang, West Sumatra

At least one man was killed, and three kiosks and a local community health center (Puskesmas) were set ablaze during a clash between residents from two villages in West Sumatra, witnesses said on Wednesday.

The clash erupted on Tuesday evening, involving rivals from the villages of Saning Bakar and Muaro Pingai in Solok regency, about 105 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Padang.

Local residents said the fighting was sparked by a dispute over a plot of ancestral land located on the border of the two villages.

But it remained unclear as to who had started the brawl.

Local police officers were currently holding a thorough investigation into the case.

Witnesses said the brawl erupted at around 3 p.m. and lasted late into the evening. A villager named Tamak, 60, was killed, but the cause of his death was not immediately clear.

The angry people also burned down three kiosks and a Puskesmas building. The arson continued with the apparent revenge burning of a restaurant nearby Singkarak Lake.

According to the locals, the two feuding communities in Saning Bakar and Muaro Pingai had long been involved in "a cold-war" over the ancestral land.

Each community claimed that the land belonged to their ancestors.

In order to prevent more clashes, local security personnel consisting of military troops and policemen have been deployed to guard the area.

Solok Regent Gamawan Fauzi regretted the brawl, saying that such violence should not have taken place if the people promoted peace talks to find a solution to their problem.

"As of today, we have yet to find out as to how the incident started. We are investigating it, while also trying to find a peaceful solution to the problem," he said on Wednesday.

Villagers in Solok have often been embroiled in clashes triggered by land disputes.

Ahead of the recent Idul Fitri celebrations, for example, similar brawls involving villagers from Padang Sibusuk and Muaro Kalaban had earlier broken out, leaving some houses and kiosks vandalized.