Over 100 seek refuge from unrest

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)