Over 100 seek refuge from unrest

DENPASAR, Bali: More than 100 people of 26 families have sought refuge after their homes in the Buleleng village of Tabang, some 80 kilometers north of here, were burned down by an angry mob on Sunday.

Buleleng Police chief Lt. Col. Nasser Amin told Antara on Monday thousands of villagers attacked houses and other buildings belonging to the families following a land dispute. No casualties resulted from the incident.

Nasser said the villagers were angry with the families for ignoring a recent Supreme Court ruling which demanded the families to return 60 hectares of land they cultivated nearby to them.

The families claimed they held land certificates, but the Supreme Court found evidence that the plot was protected by local custom. They then fought the ruling at Administrative Court, but no verdict had been announced when the villagers lost patience.

An outnumbered police troop deployment was unable to quell the disturbance, which left the disputed properties leveled.

Nasser said Regent Ketut Wirata Sindhu and his staff were discussing measures to resolve the dispute. In the meantime, the refugees are accommodated at a local government building. (amd)