Police detain 63 in Pasuruan riots
Police detain 63 in Pasuruan riots
JAKARTA (JP): Police in Pasuruan, East Java, have arrested 63 people on charges of inciting five days of violent protests against a factory they accused of polluting nearby fish and shrimp ponds.
As the situation began to return to normal yesterday, officials estimated that the rioting caused Cheil Samsung Indonesia, which makes seasoning and fertilizer for export, to suffer a loss of Rp 6 billion (US$2.6 million).
The protests that involved thousands of people from various towns in East Java have forced the South Korean company to suspend operations for an indefinite period of time.
The most violent demonstration occurred on Sunday when thousands of people reportedly went on a rampage, setting cars ablaze, throwing stones at factory buildings and attacking security officers.
The chief of the local police precinct, Col. Taufik, said many of the 63 people arrested come from other towns. He said this shows the demonstrations have been used by "a third party" for "certain goals".
"Their destructive actions endanger not only the company but also the public order," he was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday.
In anticipation of waves of similar demonstrations, scores of soldiers and police officers have been deployed in the area.
The demonstration was triggered by the farmers' complaints that the company has been dumping its toxic industrial waste into a canal without proper treatment, resulting in the death of their fish and shrimp.
The company and government officials maintain that the waste has been properly treated. The chairman of the East Java office of the state investment board, Bambang Koesbandono, said that Cheil Samsung Indonesia carefully treats its industrial waste.
Dedicated by President Soeharto in 1989 with an investment of US$87.7 million, Cheil Samsung was initially a joint venture between Indonesia's Astra Group and South Korea's Samsung.
In 1993, the company became a solely foreign owned venture and expanded its investment with another $51 million. Its exports are worth $51 million a year. (rms)